Community Refugee and Immigration Services

What Community Refugee and Immigration Services does

Community Refugee and Immigration Services (CRIS) is a Columbus, Ohio-based nonprofit organization founded in 1995 to deliver coordinated refugee resettlement and immigration support in Central Ohio. The organization operates from a single headquarters at 4645 Executive Drive, Columbus, OH 43220, and employs 51-100 staff. Over 30 years, CRIS has served tens of thousands of refugees and immigrants, growing from its origins in a garage next to the Lao Temple on Columbus' east side into an established multi-program service provider.

CRIS delivers nine discrete service lines: Employment and ESL Services, Legal Services (immigration legal assistance), Ohio's Early Intervention Program, Older Refugee and Immigrant Program, Parenting for LEP, Refugee Health and Wellness, Victims of Crime Assistance (VOCA), the on-site CRIS Wellness Clinic, and Youth Mentorship: Community Connectors. The underlying technology stack is described generically as social services and case management technology supporting refugee service delivery, with an online donation portal built on NeonCRM. The services function as distinct programs under one organizational umbrella rather than a unified software platform. There is no documented AI/ML capability, no proprietary software product, and no mobile app.

CRIS generates no revenue from service fees; all programs are delivered at no cost to clients. Funding is sourced from individual donations, organizational contributions, in-kind donations including pantry staple kits, and volunteer labor — formalized as a donation revenue model. The organization is structured as an independent nonprofit with no parent company, private equity backing, or institutional investor involvement. Geographic scope is limited to Central Ohio, with no documented expansion outside the region.

Name

Community Refugee and Immigration Services

Legal name

Community Refugee & Immigration Services

Website

https://crisohio.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1995

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

CRIS is a Columbus, Ohio-based nonprofit founded in 1995 that delivers free legal immigration, employment, health, wellness, case management, and youth mentorship services to refugees and immigrants in Central Ohio, funded by donations and volunteers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Refugee and Immigration Social Services

NAICS

Individual and Family Services (6241), Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Refugee & Immigrant Support Services (BPAGAEAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Integration & Inclusion Services (Housing, Education, Employment) (BPADAHAI), Immigrant & Refugee Workforce Integration Programs (EDAAAOAJ), Refugee & Humanitarian Newcomer Orientation (Resettlement Support) (EDAAADAI), Newcomer & Refugee Student Support Programs (EDAJAGAH), Refugee/Migrant Health & Resettlement Health Units (HLAJAAAJ)

Keywords

• Immigration legal services
• Refugee resettlement support
• Employment assistance services
• ESL language training
• Refugee case management

Headquarters

HQ city

Columbus

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: CRIS relies on donations from individuals, organizations, and community members to support refugee and immigrant services. The organization accepts monetary donations through its online donation portal and also receives in-kind donations such as pantry staple kits.
2. Volunteer Services: Community members volunteer their time and skills to support CRIS programs including employment assistance, ESL classes, youth mentorship, and other services.

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

CRIS provides free, in-person social services to refugees and immigrants in Central Ohio, including immigration legal assistance, employment preparation and job placement combined with ESL classes, case management, health and wellness services, youth mentorship, support for crime victims, and targeted programs for older refugees and parents with limited English proficiency. All core services are delivered at no cost to clients through a Columbus-based headquarters, supplemented by volunteer instructors, mentors, and community advocates.

Product overview

CRIS Ohio is a nonprofit organization offering a coordinated portfolio of social services for refugees and immigrants in Central Ohio. The organization provides immigration legal assistance, employment preparation with job placement, case management, health and wellness services, youth mentorship, and victim support programs. Services are delivered as individual program offerings including Employment and ESL, Legal Services, Ohio's Early Intervention Program, Older Refugee and Immigrant Program, Parenting for LEP, Refugee Health and Wellness, Victims of Crime Assistance (VOCA), CRIS Wellness Clinic, and Youth Mentorship: Community Connectors. The services function as distinct programs under one organizational umbrella rather than a unified software platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Employment and ESL Services Employment preparation and job placement services combined with ESL instruction for refugees and immigrants seeking to enter the Central Ohio workforce.
• Legal Services Immigration legal assistance to help refugees and immigrants understand and navigate the U.S. legal immigration system, provided at no cost to clients.
• Ohio's Early Intervention Program Early intervention services for refugees and immigrants in Ohio to support timely access to resettlement resources and stabilization.
• Older Refugee and Immigrant Program Tailored services addressing the unique legal, health, and social-support needs of older refugees and immigrants in Central Ohio.
• Parenting for LEP Parenting education and support services for refugee and immigrant parents with Limited English Proficiency to help them navigate child-rearing, schooling, and family services in Central Ohio.
• Refugee Health and Wellness Health navigation and wellness services assisting refugees in accessing medical care, understanding the U.S. healthcare system, and achieving health stability.
• Victims of Crime Assistance (VOCA) Support, advocacy, and resource navigation services for refugee and immigrant victims of crime.
• CRIS Wellness Clinic On-site wellness clinic delivering direct health services to CRIS clients at the Columbus headquarters.
• Youth Mentorship: Community Connectors Youth mentorship program pairing young refugees and immigrants with community mentors to support social integration, education, and personal development.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Regional players

• Refugee Services of Texas: Statewide refugee resettlement agency providing employment, case management, and integration services in Texas. Comparable operating model to CRIS but focused on a different geography with its own state-level funding structures.
• Catholic Charities Columbus: Local Catholic Charities affiliate serving Central Ohio, including refugee resettlement programming under the broader national Catholic Charities network. Direct regional competitor for refugee services and donor support in the same Columbus geography.
• Immigrant Welcome Center: Indianapolis-based nonprofit serving immigrants and refugees with integration, education, and employment services. Comparable mid-sized community-based model to CRIS, but operating in a different Midwest city.

Broad incumbents

• International Rescue Committee: One of the largest global refugee resettlement and humanitarian aid organizations, operating resettlement programs across multiple U.S. cities. Comparable to CRIS as a direct refugee services provider but at vastly greater scale and geographic breadth.
• U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants (USCRI): National refugee resettlement and advocacy organization operating programs across multiple U.S. states. Provides directly overlapping resettlement, employment, and case management services to CRIS.
• HIAS: Global Jewish nonprofit providing refugee resettlement, legal services, and integration support across the United States. Directly comparable legal and resettlement services to CRIS, but operates in many more states and is significantly larger.
• Ethiopian Community Development Council (ECDC): National nonprofit providing refugee resettlement and community development across multiple U.S. sites. Overlaps with CRIS in resettlement, employment, and case management service categories, but with a broader geographic footprint.
• Catholic Charities USA: National umbrella organization for Catholic Charities agencies, many of which run refugee resettlement and immigration legal services programs. Directly comparable legal and resettlement service categories to CRIS, with significantly larger reach.
• Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service (LIRS): National faith-based refugee resettlement and immigration services organization. Directly overlapping refugee resettlement, legal services, and youth services with CRIS at much larger scale and across many states.

Others

• NeonCRM: CRM and donation management software provider specifically built for nonprofits. CRIS uses NeonCRM for its donation portal (crisohio.app.neoncrm.com), making it a directly relevant technology infrastructure partner and sector peer for nonprofit operations.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat2 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/crisohio
• Facebookfacebook.com/crisohio
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/community-refugee-and-immigration-services

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Community Refugee and Immigration Services