COLUMBUS, Ohio – Services for refugees in Ohio will receive a multi-million dollar increase through the Department of Job and Family Services (ODJFS), according to the Ohio Office of Budget & Management (OBM).
On Monday, Nov. 18, the Controlling Board of the Ohio OBM granted approval to the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services (ODJFS) to increase appropriation authority in the amount of $17 million in 2025 to continue to provide federal funding for services to refugees in the State of Ohio.
The increase will go to the ODJFS Foreign Refugees Fund for Refugee Services provided through ODJFS. The current appropriation is $25.3 million and with the newly approved $17 million, the proposed appropriation for 2025 totals $42.3 million.
ODJFS says the $17 million “will support three different aspects of Refugee Services, $8,140,213 for Refugee Cash Assistance (RCA) payments, $6,908,741 for Refugee Support Services, and $1,951,046 for Medical Screenings.”
Bill Teets, ODJFS Communications Director, tells River News Network most refugees are located in Ohio’s metro counties.
One refugee, a man from Haiti, recently relocated to Belmont County, according to Shelley Schramm, Public Assistance Administrator for the Belmont County Department of Job & Family Services.
Haitian refugee relocates to Belmont County
The ODJFS website lists the number of refugee arrivals for several Ohio cities plus the refugees’ countries of origin. You can find the website here. According to this Refugee Arrivals website, 4,312 refugees settled in Ohio so far in 2024.
ODJFS says most refugees in Ohio decided to live in five specific counties: Cuyahoga (Cleveland), Franklin (Columbus), Hamilton (Cincinnati), Montgomery (Dayton), and Summit (Akron).
Teets says the Refugee Services funds come from the federal government.
All funds for the program are from the Federal from Office of Refugee Resettlement and the Controlling Board request is to give us the ability to utilize those funds.
Bill Teets, ODJFS Communications Director,
River News Network followed up with Teets on Tuesday for clarification on the amount of aid each person receives, how long they receive assistance and what other agencies provide services to them. We also asked about employment, education and training outcomes. Teets is gathering this information, and we will report these findings.
In its appropriation request, ODJFS said “The State of Ohio receives Refugee Support Services (RSS) and Refugee Cash and Medical Assistance (RCMA) funding to provide supportive services to refugees and other Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) eligible individuals in Ohio.”
ODJFS supports Afghan refugees and Ukrainian refugees through the federal Afghanistan Supplemental Appropriation Act (ASA) of 2021 and Additional Ukraine Supplemental Appropriations Act (AUSAA) of 2022. Cuban and Haitian refugees are also supported as are foreign-born victims of trafficking.
ODJFS states in its funding application that the “State of Ohio receives Refugee Cash and Medical Assistance funding from the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR). A portion of this funding includes Refugee Cash Assistance (RCA) payments, which are administered at the county level. Individuals eligible for RCA include refugees, Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) holders, Afghan & Ukrainian Humanitarian parolees, Cuban and Haitian entrants, asylees, and foreign-born victims of trafficking.”
Refugee Cash Assistance (RCA) caseloads have increased from January 2023 to October 2024. Metro counties have the largest RCA caseloads and are allocated a predetermined amount of administrative funds from the RCMA grant to administer the program. “Due to the statewide increase of RCA cases, additional counties are requesting administrative funds,” ODJFS says.
ODJFS says “The RSS Program supports services that address barriers to employment. Other activities under the program can include health education classes and targeted health outreach to individuals, medical and mental health navigation and support, adjustment groups, skill building networks, or peer support meetings.”
River News Network will bring you more details on this story as they become available.
