(Radio Iowa) – Refugee resettlement agencies in Iowa are nearly out of funding after the Trump administration stopped providing money to support new arrivals.
The U-S Committee for Refugees and Immigrants in Des Moines started the year with around 35 staff members. By Friday, six will remain. Wellness program manager Leslie Olson says they haven’t been paid by the federal government since November, including money for services not affected by an executive order to stop resettlement work.
Lutheran Services of Iowa has not been reimbursed for any federal expenses since December. Nicholas Wuertz, L-S-I’s director of refugee services, says they’re waiting for one-and-a-half million dollars in reimbursements. Without the money, Wuertz says homelessness for these new families will be a reality in a few weeks.
