Effective June 23, 2025, Refugee Services has officially moved to the ground floor of the Lucas Building, located at 321 E 12th St., Des Moines, IA 50319.
Published on
June 23, 2025
Refugee Services
Topics:
Programs & Services
Assistance Programs
Family & Community Services
The Iowa Bureau of Refugee Services (BRS) is a federally funded office of the Iowa Department of Human Services and is charged with supporting the resettlement of refugees in Iowa. BRS works with a network of resettlement agencies (RA) across Iowa who do the bulk of the direct resettlement work with refugees. Learn more about the RAs and the work they do on our Resources page.
The goal of any resettlement program is for refugees to become self-sustaining, productive Iowans as quickly as possible. This is accomplished through diverse programming that helps refugees find sustainable employment, safe and affordable housing, and other services to help refugees feel welcome in their new home state.
History of BRS
BRS has accomplished this work since 1975 with the arrival of 300 Tai Dam refugees who had fled Vietnam to Laos and Thailand.
Since then, refugees from Cambodia, Poland, Bosnia, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Sudan, Burma, and many other countries have been resettled in Iowa through the assistance and support of BRS.
Today, that support continues with refugees recently resettled from Afghanistan, Ukraine, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Services We Provide
List items for Bureau of Refugee Services - List of services
In partnership with Iowa Workforce Development, BRS partners with refugee communities, employers, community colleges, nonprofits and state and local agencies to create inclusive and sustainable career paths to help refugees become self-sufficient and work toward a high quality of life that fits with their goals and values.
BRS partners with refugee communities, employers, community colleges, nonprofits and state and local agencies to create inclusive and sustainable career paths to help refugees become self-sufficient and work toward a high quality of life that fits with their goals and values.
The WHO has found that PM+ effectively improves the social and emotional well-being of refugees.
The Afghan Legal League of Iowa (ALL Iowa) is a team effort of the University of Iowa College of Law, Drake University Law School, and the Iowa Migrant Movement for Justice (MMJ).
ALL Iowa receives funding from a grant from the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services. ALL Iowa offers immigration legal services to Afghans in Iowa, which are essential to protect them from risks associated with a lack of a permanent immigration status. ALL Iowa will:
Engage with communities statewide.
Provide direct legal representation of Afghan nationals before federal immigration agencies.
Support and enhance the work of lawyers and organizations serving Afghans in Iowa.
Increase access to immigration legal services in Iowa.
Research best practices and distribute educational materials about immigration laws and policies.
BRS helps refugees apply for Iowa family benefit programs and connects refugee families with community resources. Our benefit programs include:
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)
Medicaid
Family Investment Program (FIP)
Refugee Cash Assistance (RCA) for refugees in their first year in the United States. BRS is the only agency in the state that provides direct services to RCA participants.
BRS can connect refugees with interpretation services if there is a language barrier in accessing BRS services.
The Refugee Cash Assistance program provides cash assistance for up to twelve months to needy families, including single adults, who enter the United States as refugees who are not eligible for the Family Investment Program.
Unless determined exempt, refugees must cooperate with work and training requirements of the RCA programs.
