The Welcome Center: Greeting New Neighbors to Our Community
The Welcome Center. The Hugo. The Ramada. The Hotel. No matter what you choose to call it, the former Ramada Inn near the Portland International Airport has become widely known as a place where asylum seekers in Oregon can go to find temporary shelter and be connected with immediate support and services.
However, despite the increasing numbers of asylum seekers in Oregon, the state withdrew funding and effectively shut down the Welcome Center at the end of 2023, leaving its future uncertain.
History of the Welcome Center
The Oregon Department of Human Services (ODHS) opened the Welcome Center in November 2022. Over the next 14 months, the Welcome Center assisted 469 asylum seekers from 19 different countries, including Venezuela, Colombia, Peru, Angola, Afghanistan, Congo, Somalia, Haiti, and Cuba.
After ODHS withdrew funding, PRSG negotiated leasing a number of rooms to ensure there would still be a place for asylum seekers to go.
The Welcome Center Today
PRSG has had an important role in shaping the Welcome Center since the beginning. In fact, many community members associate PRSG as the main operator of the Welcome Center. But in reality, there are other organizations also committed to the Welcome Center. With the support of PRSG, along with the Afghan Community and Cultural Organization, the African Family Holistic Health Organization, and the Interfaith Movement for Immigrant Justice, the Welcome Center is currently housing about 130 individuals. As Executive Director Peter Newbegin puts it, “We are all just working together to kind of see what we can piece together to help support them.”
“We’re not just filling out paperwork. We’re actively building communities and establishing relationships.”
Community Response Advocate Noemi Mayer sees relationship building as a critical part of her work at the Welcome Center. “We want to make sure these families feel like they belong here,” she says. “We're not just filling out paperwork. We're actively building communities and establishing relationships.”
“We all need to recognize that the people who arrive seeking asylum in Oregon are already our community members. We have a responsibility to take care of our new neighbors.”
Future of the Welcome Center
Last fall, Director of Policy & Operations Rebecca Battin and Deputy Director Angela Swan worked with advocates from over 30 community-based organizations (CBOs) to craft the Newcomer Humanitarian Investment Bill (House Bill 4159). Read the details in our blog post Read the details of HB 4159 in our blog post here.
Although the bill has stalled in the House Committee, there is still hope that the issue can be revisited and approved before the Legislature adjourns this month. Whatever happens with legislation, PRSG is committed to finding the funds to keep the Welcome Center going.
Rebecca emphasizes, “The Welcome Center is more than just a place to stay. It's often the first cultural point of contact in the US. We all need to recognize that the people who arrive seeking asylum in Oregon are already our community members. We have a responsibility to take care of our new neighbors.”
If you share our commitment to community building, we encourage you to reach out to your local representatives and convey your support for establishing a sustainable, long-term solution to provide services to asylum seekers in Oregon.
Further Reading:
Oregon spent $29 million to house asylum seekers. Then it shut down the program. (The Oregonian, Feb. 9, 2024)
Will Oregon help asylum seekers again? As bill stalls, advocates say ‘allow us to support more families’ (The Oregonian, March 2, 2024)
