Refugee IDA Program

Program Information

The Refugee IDA program, funded by the federal Office of Refugee Resettlement, helps recent refugee arrivals fulfill their American dream to purchase either a home, earn a post-secondary education/trade credential, open a small business, or purchase a vehicle to drive to work or school. The promise of having one or more of those assets is a ticket to self-sufficiency and independence.

Eligible individuals are people who can show proof of refugee status, are not yet citizens, have been in the US for five years or less at the time of enrollment; have earned income; whose gross household earned income at the time of enrollment does not exceed 300% of the federal poverty level or, only if seeking the homeownership asset, does not exceed 80% of the Housing and Urban Development's Area Family Median Income (HAMFI); whose assets at the time of enrollment do not exceed $10,000, excluding the value of a primary residence and one vehicle; and who have not already received IDA match funds from an ORR-funded IDA program.

2024 Asset Total Purchases:

Home: 15

Microbusiness: 16

Auto: 74

List of Current Partner Sites

Asian Services in Action
Types of Assets Offered: Homeownership, Micro-Enterprise, Vehicle, Education
Service Area: Ashland, Ashtabula, Cuyahoga, Geauga, Holmes, Lake, Lorain, Mahoning, Medina, Portage, Stark, Summit, Tuscarawas, Trumbull, and Wayne Counties

Ethiopian Tewahedo Social Services
Types of Assets Offered: Education, Homeownership, Micro-Enterprise, Vehicle, Education
Service Area: Franklin County