cleveland just opened a new welcome center for immigrants —
Cuyahoga County to open new welcome center for immigrants and refugees
Ideastream Public Media | By Gabriel Kramer
Published February 14, 2024
Cuyahoga County opened its new welcome center at 10 a.m. Wednesday in Cleveland’s Old Brooklyn neighborhood to provide resources to newcomers — primarily immigrants and refugees.
Newcomers will be able to get help finding work, housing, legal assistance and multilingual services at the center, according to the county.
The center is part of the county’s plan to attract immigrants to the region and boost the overall population, said Cuyahoga County Executive Chris Ronayne.
“When you look at successful metropolitans that have been growing over the years, often the secret to their success is and a key ingredient is they welcome newcomers and immigrants,” Ronayne said. “We in greater Cleveland have not experienced population growth, yet we have the capacity to welcome more persons here.”
The county’s immigrant population has grown, despite the overall population shrinking from 2012 to 2022, according to the American Community Survey from the U.S. Census Bureau. In 2012, about 83,000 of the county’s 1,265,000 residents, 6.5%, were immigrants. In 2022, about 94,000 of the county’s 1,236,000 residents, 7.6%, were foreign-born.
“Our strength is in our diversity,” Ronayne said. “If we’re intentional about welcoming the world to Cleveland, Ohio, we’re going to grow.”
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https://www.ideastream.org/governmen...s-and-refugees