Ohio Needs a Refugee Floor

Cincinnati & Dayton Unable to Resettle

At least three of Ohio’s eleven resettlement agencies—all affiliates of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ resettlement program—will be unable to resettle refugees next year.

On April 11th, Catholic Charities Cincinnati announced its forced withdrawal from the U.S. Refugee Program—halting a 40-year legacy of resettlement in Cincinnati. Catholic Charities was the only resettlement office in the City.

Dayton, Ohio—which was also served exclusively by Catholic Social Services of the Miami Valley—will also be unable to resettle refugees.

Cleveland will similarly lose a resettlement program. CEO Tony Stieritz emphasized that uncertainty now governs Ohio’s Refugee Program:

“Today, what that has ultimately meant is that we don’t know where the future of refugee resettlement is going to be for our local community or anywhere in the United States.”

The source of that uncertainty? Executive volatility. The solution? A bipartisan refugee admissions floor.

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