Over the past year, our leadership team and Board of Directors have been shaping a plan to focus our mission and work over the next three years. For most of our 30-year legacy, CRIS has been known primarily as a refugee resettlement agency. That chapter has closed for now. Yet the need for what we do – from youth mentorship to senior services, victims of crime advocacy to immigration legal services, employment services to refugee health and wellness, and more – has never been greater.
Our leaders’ driving questions have included: How do we remain dedicated to our mission and adapt to meet the community’s changing needs? What will it look like to honor our rich history and extend it in shifting, uncertain circumstances?
The core answer to these questions is rooted in our identity and vision.
Who We Are: CRIS is the region’s expert in integration, helping refugees and immigrants not just arrive but advance and thrive.
What We Envision: Central Ohio is a region where every immigrant and refugee has the support, resources, and opportunity to thrive — and where our organization is the trusted expert on community integration.
Practically speaking, this plan is built around five interconnected pillars:
Helping people advance. Shifting the focus of our employment programming from job placement toward career growth, with training, credentials, and upskilling, and exploring social enterprises that could build skills while returning revenue to our mission.
Serving the whole person and the whole family. Our existing programs that offer legal help, mental health and wellness, youth mentorship, senior programming, and more work best together, and we’ll keep strengthening those connections.
Sharing what we’ve learned. After three decades, we know a lot about what helps newcomers succeed. We want to share that with schools, employers, and hospitals, and local organizations to strengthen our community and advocate for those we serve.
Including more neighbors. So many have offered their time and goodwill. We want to continue building ways to put that generosity to work through volunteer roles, a community ambassador program, and intentional civic engagement activities.
Building a strong foundation. We’re growing support from foundations, businesses, and individual donors so our programs can stay steady in uncertain times.
These pillars work together; they’re like different petals of the same blossom. A client who comes to us for legal help may find a job, a mentor, or a community along the way.
This is a first look at our strategic plan. Over the coming months, we’ll share more. In the meantime, we invite you to take a closer look at the entire plan. In it, you’ll find more detailed descriptions of each pillar, an implementation roadmap/timeline, key risks and mitigations, and how we plan to measure success.
CRIS Strategic Plan 2026-2029
We’d love to hear from you via our website’s new feedback form: crisohio.org/feedback.
Thank you for being part of this community. We’re grateful you’re with us for what comes next.