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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., we aim to maintain our dedication to reducing access barriers and helping make home for all immigrant and refugee newcomers rebuilding their lives in Kentucky.
GENERAL SUPPORT & SERVICES
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
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.
WELCOME CORPS
Welcome Corps is a private sponsorship program that allows U.S. citizens and permanent residents to sponsor an individual or family for resettlement in the U.S. This program is facilitated by the U.S. federal and state governments, and private sponsor groups are responsible for securing the same necessary services and resources as a resettlement agency, such as KRM, would provide for newly arriving refugee clients. For those who need assistance with their Welcome Corps sponsorship application, guidance on available resettlement resources or would like more information on sponsoring through Welcome Corps, please see the resources below:
Welcome Corps provides detailed information on the program, the application to become a sponsor and a support line for private sponsors groups in need of assistance. Private Sponsor Groups (PSGs) can access the Welcome Corps Support Line by calling (212) 551-3100, Monday – Friday, 9 am – 5 pm ET, or emailing WCSL@rescue.org
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
Who is eligible for KRM services?
As a refugee resettlement organization, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), along with the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP), establish parameters and define eligibility of those served by KRM. This means that in order to be eligible for comprehensive or support services available through KRM, clients must meet all requirements and be within this set of parameters regarding nationality and immigration status. Primarily, KRM clients are within one or more 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 their arrival to the U.S. (Eligible for comprehensive services)
- Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) – A program primarily designated to Iraq and Afghan nationals who were employed by the U.S. government to aid operations and U.S. armed forces oversees (largely as interpreters) to resettle safely in the United States. (Eligible for comprehensive services)
- Cuban nationals seeking asylum and who received I-94 immigration documentation upon arrival to the U.S. (Eligible for support services)
- Humanitarian Parolees who are granted Temporary Protected Status (TPS) through a U.S. government humanitarian parole sponsorship program (e.g., U4U and CNHV programs) for select nationalities. This predominantly includes Cuban, Haitian and Ukrainian nationals. (Eligible for support services)
- Please note: Nicaraguans and Venezuelans who have arrived through the CNHV humanitarian parole sponsorship program are not eligible for KRM services. If you or your client are from either nationality and are seeking services, please see the La Casita Center link above.