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Every day, newcomers are arriving to our community in need of access to vital resources. By offering this list of external assistance programs through our community partners and organizations who serve international communities in Louisville and the U.S., KRM aims to maintain the dedication to reducing access barriers and helping make home for all immigrant and refugee newcomers rebuilding their lives in Kentucky.
Located at the bottom of the page, a list of online resources is available for supporters and community partners to stay informed on immigrant and refugee policies, news updates, help broaden cultural awareness and advocate for newcomers in our community.
PLEASE NOTE – 2025 Update: Due to broad federal funding cuts across U.S. public service sectors and immigration policy changes, some of the below external resources may now have limited services, reduced capacity and/or terminated programming.
GENERAL SUPPORT & SERVICES
Refugee Welcome Collective offers a state-by-state guide to help sponsors and newcomers navigate the resources and services available in their area. This extensive resource list was created in partnership with the Kentucky Office for Refugees (KOR) to provide the most comprehensive and relevant information for navigating services and providers in Kentucky.
Refugee Welcome Collective | State-by-State Resources
Louisville Metro Office of Immigrant Affairs hosts resource events, job fairs, and collaborates with community partners to provide services with the aim of increasing equitable access to resources for immigrants and refugees across Jefferson County. Their website is available in over 100 languages (select language at the top of webpage).
Office for Immigrant Affairs | LouisvilleKY.gov
My KY helps navigate broad services available in the community, including mental healthcare, emergency care, legal services, education, food pantries and services for immigrant and refugee communities. They additionally offer crisis lines and safe space contacts for immediate critical needs. Their website is available in English, Spanish and French.
MY KY | Immigrant & Refugee Services
Americana Community Center offers a range of key resources and services specifically aimed at assisting immigrant and refugee families. These include family education, Survivors of Torture Services, youth programs, mental healthcare, and adult classes for ESL, citizenship, GED, tax assistance, crisis management and digital literacy.
All Programs – Americana Community Center
CLASSES & EDUCATION
FREE ADULT ESL CLASSES
Jefferson Country Public Schools (JCPS) offers free adult English as a Second Language (ESL) classes. For more information and to register for classes, please visit their webpage (available in Spanish, Arabic, Swahili, and Nepali).
English as a Second Language—Adult | Jefferson County Public Schools
HEALTH, WELLNESS & ADVOCACY
FOOD PANTRIES
Dare to Care offers many food pantry locations across a diversity of Louisville neighborhoods. These resources are free and available to community members in need. Please visit their website for more information and to view their calendar of food pantry dates and locations. Select from a multitude of languages at the bottom of the page.
Events & Mobile Pantries | Dare to Care
MENTAL HEALTH
Mental Health Lou helps navigate available resources and access to mental health by reducing barriers due to transportation, low income and language, with refined search capabilities to navigate providers that can meet more specific needs. Filter by zip code, bilingual providers, language services, free and sliding-scale therapy, BIPOC providers and more.
Community Guide | Mental Health Lou | Louisville, KY
VICTIMS OF CRIME OR HUMAN TRAFFICKING
Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) advocacy and funding is available to support immigrants and refugees who have experienced violent crime, human or sex trafficking, and/or sexual assault. You or your client do not have to be a KRM client to be eligible for this support. Please contact KRM VOCA Advocate, Cassidy Wheeler, for more information or if you would like to refer a client for victims’ advocate services: cwheeler@kyrm.org. If you or someone you know have been victims of domestic abuse and are in immediate need of shelter, please contact The Center for Women and Families at (502) 581-7222 (24-hr hotline).
SAFETY & EMERGENCIES
community safety: rights & awareness
USA Hello: A multilingual guide to help stay informed and safe as immigration policies change. It includes regularly updated information, changes to immigration programs, “Know your rights” toolkits and how to get help:
2026 Immigration Guide | USAHello
National Immigration Law Center (NILC) offers a multilingual guide on what to do if you or a loved one is approached, arrested or detained by immigration enforcement:
How to Find a Loved One After a U.S. Immigration Arrest and What to Do if Arrested or Detained by Immigration
International Refugee Assistance Project (IRAP) provides helpful explainers and info for refugees to help keep families informed and safe in multiple languages:
I live in the US and I have refugee status. What should I know?
EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS
FEMA offers emergency preparedness resources in various languages, including Spanish, French, Haitian Creole, Arabic, Russian, and more. Aimed at helping immigrants and refugees with language barriers or who have newly arrived to the U.S. stay safe and prepared in case of inclement weather, natural disasters and emergencies, the link below helps guide families through vital preparations, like creating an evacuation plan, recognizing different warning alerts, and sheltering during emergencies and severe weather.
Make A Plan | Ready.gov | FEMA
SHELTERS / TEMPORARY HOUSING
For quick help and immediate shelter needs, call Coordinated Shelter Access at 502-637-2337 from 10am-1pm. (Para reservar una cama en un refugio, llame a este número: 502-637-2337 de 10am-1pm). Below are additional options for temporary shelters in Louisville:
Re:Center Ministries (men only/solo hombres)
733 E. Jefferson St., Mon-Sun, 7pm-6:30am
(Solo hombres; no se proporcionan comidas; se tiene que llegar a las 7pm)
Salvation Army Center of Hope
911 South Brook St.
(Adultos – hombres y mujeres; cena; se tiene que llegar a las 6p)
St. Vincent de Paul Ozanam Inn (men only/solo hombres)
1034 S. Jackson St.
(Solo hombres; cena; se tiene que llegar a las 4pm)
Wayside Christian Mission
432 East Jefferson St.
(Adultos – hombres y mujeres; se proporcionan comidas; Se tiene que llegar a las 4pm)
The Healing Place (addiction recovery/recuperación de adicciones)
(502) 585-4848 (to reserve a bed/para reservar una cama)
Men/Hombres: 1020 W Market St.; Women/Mujeres: 1503 15th St.
Center for Women and Families
(for victims of domestic abuse/women and children/para sobrevivientes de abuso domestico)
927 S 2nd St.; (502) 581-7222 (24-hr hotline)
Salvation Army Center of Hope (for families/para familias)
911 S. Brook St.
(Se proporcionan comidas)
Volunteers of America (for families/para familias)
1321 S. Preston St.
(Se proporcionan la cena)
Wayside Christian Mission (for families/para familias)
432 E. Jefferson St.:
(Se proporcionan comidas)
IMMIGRATION LEGAL SERVICES
Due to the high volume of clients the KRM Louisville legal services department is currently serving, there may be an extended waitlist for scheduling initial consultation appointments for those community members outside of KRM refugee and humanitarian parolee clientele, and availability is not guaranteed. Please see KRM’s current Referral List for Immigration Attorneys in KY for alternative options of legal representation and counsel regarding asylum applications, immigration status, family reunification and other immigration-related legal needs.
For more information or to contact KRM Immigration Legal Services, please visit our Immigration & Citizenship page.
SPECIFIC COMMUNITIES
RESOURCES FOR SPANISH-SPEAKING COMMUNITIES*
(Recursos para comunidades de habla hispana)
*Resources for Hispanic/Latin Americans who are in need of resources and not eligible for KRM services (i.e., non-Cuban Spanish-speakers).
La Casita Center provides a broad range of services and helps Latin American Spanish-speaking communities navigate available resources. Available services and resources include immigration legal services, healthcare, mental health, food and clothing assistance, emergency care, education, ESL classes, as well as services for those who do not have immigration documentation of entry to the U.S. Website available in English and Spanish.
POLICY, NEWS & ADVOCACY RESOURCES
To help make Kentucky home and advocate for refugees and immigrants, it is vital that we, as a community, stay informed on policies that impact newcomers, as well as expand our cultural awareness and knowledge of immigration data. In an effort to provide the most accurate and unbiased information, the below resources are nonpartisan or bipartisan organizations who prioritize thorough research and reliable, confirmed data sources.
Immigration Policy Tracking Project provides a catalogue of the current administration’s immigration policies, includes source documents, and highlights new policies going into effect.
Immigration Policy Tracking Project
Church World Service (CWS) provides updates each weekday on the current state of play for the U.S. refugee program and includes messaging, advocacy and “taking action” guides.
Migration Policy Institute seeks to improve immigration policies and integration through comprehensive research, analysis and addressing complex policy questions. This site serves as an in-depth resource for immigration data, U.S. immigration economic impacts and policy explainers and much more.
Article: Deportation Impacts Explainer
Immigration Policy & Law
U.S. Immigration Data Hub
American Immigration Council is an extensive resource for immigrant and refugee data and information explaining the immigration process, statistics, impacts by state and immigration history in the United States.
5 CALLS instructs on how to advocate for refugees and immigrants by contacting your elected officials in Congress and provides examples of what to say when calling about reinstating the refugee program or other immigration policy issues.
Immigrant Defense Project shares “Know Your Rights” flyers and information in both English and Spanish to help inform and protect immigrant communities:
Who is eligible for KRM services?
PLEASE NOTE: Due to continuing changes to U.S. immigration policy and programs as of January 20th, 2025, some of the below information and program eligibility may have changed.
As a refugee resettlement organization, eligibility parameters are established for programs and services offered by KRM. Parameters for the majority of KRM programming have been traditionally set forth and supervised by federally-overseen offices such as U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), U.S. Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP) and/or Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR). Those eligible* for KRM services are primarily within one of the below immigration classifications:
- Refugees – Approved for permanent resettlement in the U.S. as a refugee – Official immigration status determined by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) prior to arrival to the U.S. through an extensive vetting and security clearance process.
- Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) – A program designated to Iraq and Afghan nationals who were employed by the U.S. government to aid operations and U.S. armed forces oversees to resettle safely in the United States.
- Cuban/Haitian Entrants – Nationals of Cuba or Haiti who are seeking or have been granted asylum in the U.S. and who received I-94 immigration documentation upon arrival.
- Humanitarian Parolees and TPS-holders – Those who have been granted Temporary Protected Status (TPS) or humanitarian parole from select countries. KRM services are available to Afghan, Cuban, Haitian and Ukrainian nationals with these statuses and who meet the eligibility requirements specific to these programs.
*Some KRM programs are excluded from these eligibility requirements (e.g., VOCA advocacy, citizenship prep classes, Art Makes Home (Louisville arts and culture programming), select ESL classes and select immigration legal services). Enrollment or participation in these programs is dependent on current capacity and availability.