What Community & Home Mean to our Immigrant Neighbors

Immigrant and refugee communities bring cultural diversity and economic strength to the Pacific Northwest. Yet, many face significant barriers to basic needs—such as housing—that are only growing due to federal immigration enforcement. As our immigrant neighbors struggle to find employment or safely go to work, Immigration Counseling Service (ICS) coordinates with community partners to ensure they receive holistic support, including food security, health care, housing, and mental health support.

This is where the dozens of organizations from Willamette Week’s Give!Guide’s Community and Home categories step in to support and celebrate culturally diverse communities, as well as provide housing solutions, repairs, legal aid, and more. These organizations recognize that to truly celebrate the diverse cultures and lived experiences that make our community home, we must ensure that everyone has a roof over their heads and access to basic services, including immigrants and refugees experiencing housing insecurity.

For too many, home is a dream deferred by systemic barriers and economic hardship. These struggles are especially difficult for immigrant who are trying to attain work authorization. Low-income immigrants face enormous barriers to accessing legal help, often forced to choose between feeding their families or defending their fundamental rights. That’s why ICS provides support through our Immigrant Legal Relief Fund and works with community partners to meet basic needs: so no one must choose between shelter or justice.

Supporting these organizations means more than solving a crisis. It means building a city where everyone belongs, where diversity is celebrated, and where equity can become a reality. Because there’s no place like home, and everyone deserves one.