Catholic Charities Announces Reduction in its Workforce Due to Termination of Federal Refugee Services Contract

FORT WAYNE, Ind. (March 10, 2025) – Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend (CCFWSB) announced on March 7 that 17 positions were eliminated due to the federal government’s recent termination of its contract with the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) for the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP). CCFWSB is a partner agency with the USCCB, providing core services to refugees who are victims of war and violence. Refugees are granted legal protection and a pathway to permanent residency through USRAP.

In its latest fiscal year, CCFWSB received $3 million in contract revenue and spent $3.2 million to administer its various refugee services’ programs. One of those contracts, Reception and Placement, which provides assistance to newly resettled individuals, has been terminated. The contract is valued at $1.1 million, and CCFWSB’s remaining federal contracts tied to refugee resettlement are also at risk of termination.

Funds received from the USCCB contract are used to provide wrap-around core services and financial support for the first 90 to 240 days following the refugee’s arrival to ensure sustainable economic self-sufficiency and successful community integration. Administrative funding is also provided to partially pay for the staff that provide those services.

CCFWSB’s offices in Fort Wayne and South Bend resettled 380 refugees who arrived in northeast Indiana last year, many of whom were reuniting with family members after living decades in a refugee camp. In addition to the Reception and Placement Program, CCFWSB also holds contractual agreements to provide ongoing support to refugees for healthcare needs, job readiness, employment placement and ESL classes.        

USRAP was established in 1980 when Congress passed the Refugee Act. It is a federally funded program, offering a legal immigration pathway into the U.S. for refugees who are victims of war and violence, and providing them with a chance to rebuild their life. The USCCB has been CCFWSB’s national USRAP sponsor agency since the program’s inception. Nationally, the USCCB’s network of affiliate agencies resettle approximately 18 percent of the refugees[MS1]  that arrive in the U.S. each year – the largest in the nation.

“It is with a heavy heart that we make this decision,” said Dan Florin, CEO of CCFWSB. “In our 103-year history, Catholic Charities has survived the Great Depression, various wars, many recessions, and similar federal budget cuts. Our agency provides over 20 programs supporting our most vulnerable neighbors, and we remain as committed as ever to serve all those in need as Christ calls us to do.” 

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