The Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) is the federal agency responsible for helping refugees, asylees, and other eligible populations rebuild their lives after arriving in the United States. Part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), ORR funds and oversees the programs that provide refugees with cash assistance, medical care, employment services, and social support during their first months in America.
What Does the Office of Refugee Resettlement Do?
ORR does not work directly with refugee families in most cases. Instead, it funds and coordinates a nationwide network of state agencies, nonprofit organizations, and local service providers that deliver support on the ground. This includes the resettlement agencies that meet refugees at the airport and help them find housing, enroll in benefits, and start job searches.
ORR’s main functions include:
- Refugee Cash Assistance (RCA) — Monthly financial support for refugees who do not qualify for other federal assistance, typically available for up to 8 months
- Refugee Medical Assistance (RMA) — Short-term health coverage for refugees and asylees not eligible for Medicaid
- Employment programs — Funding for job training, placement, and English language instruction through local providers
- Social services — Case management, interpretation, transportation, and help navigating American systems
- Unaccompanied children program — Care and placement of unaccompanied minors who arrive at the U.S. border
- Anti-trafficking programs — Services for victims of human trafficking
ORR sets the national policies and funding levels. The actual services are delivered by organizations you may recognize locally — like the IRC, Catholic Charities, and Refugee Services of Texas in Dallas. For a full overview of how the process works from start to finish, read our complete guide to refugee resettlement.
Who Does ORR Serve?
ORR’s mandate extends beyond refugees. The agency provides support to several categories of people:
- Refugees — People admitted to the U.S. through the refugee admissions program after being vetted abroad
- Asylees — People granted asylum after applying from within the U.S. Learn more about what an asylee is.
- Cuban and Haitian entrants — Specific categories with historical authorization
- Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) holders — Iraqis and Afghans who worked with the U.S. government
- Victims of trafficking — Certified by HHS for ORR benefits
- Unaccompanied refugee minors — Children placed in foster care or group homes
According to ORR data published through the Administration for Children and Families, the agency supports hundreds of thousands of individuals each year across all programs.
How ORR Funding Reaches Local Communities
Federal dollars flow from ORR through multiple channels:
- State refugee coordinators — Every state with refugee arrivals has a designated coordinator who manages ORR-funded programs at the state level.
- National resettlement agencies — Nine organizations hold cooperative agreements with the State Department to resettle refugees. These include the IRC, Church World Service, HIAS, and others. Each has local affiliate offices.
- Community-based organizations — Smaller nonprofits receive grants to provide specialized services like mental health counseling, youth programs, and cultural orientation.
In Dallas, ORR funding supports the work of local resettlement agencies that welcome families from Myanmar, Afghanistan, the DRC, Syria, Eritrea, and Ukraine. These agencies handle the initial 90-day resettlement period — securing apartments, enrolling families in benefits, and connecting them to employment programs.
What ORR funding typically does not cover in full is furnishing apartments. Resettlement agencies receive a modest per-person grant that must cover rent, utilities, food, and basic supplies. Furniture often falls to the bottom of the priority list. That is where community organizations like Be Deliberate step in — collecting gently used furniture and delivering it for free to families who would otherwise sleep on the floor.
The Gap Between Policy and Reality
ORR provides the framework, but the refugee experience on the ground depends heavily on local resources and community support. Refugees are expected to become self-sufficient within 90-180 days. That is an extraordinary timeline for someone who may not speak English, has no credit history, and arrived in a new country with a single suitcase.
This is why organizations beyond the federal system matter so much. Be Deliberate has completed 490+ furniture deliveries to newcomer families across Dallas-Fort Worth. Volunteers who show up on a Saturday morning to carry a couch upstairs are filling a gap that no federal program fully addresses.
To see the full picture of how refugees integrate into Dallas, explore our guide to refugee resettlement in Dallas and our overview of what refugees need when they arrive.
How You Can Help
Federal programs provide a foundation, but it takes community action to make resettlement work. Be Deliberate fills the furniture gap for refugee families in Dallas-Fort Worth every week.
- Donate Furniture — Free pickup across Dallas-Fort Worth
- Volunteer — Help deliver and set up furniture for refugee families
- Give Financially — Fund warehouse operations and welcome home kits