Omaha senior center sees influx of refugees

OMAHA, Neb. (WOWT) - The Intercultural Senior Center that helps refugees get back on their feet is now seeing an increase in the number of newcomers from around the world.

Carolina Padilla, the founder of the center, said about 40 refugees arrive every single day looking for a new opportunity. It’s a group of people she describes as forgotten.

“Our services are for seniors that come from around the world where the lack of language makes a lot of limitation for them to get into the community and find resources,” Padilla said.

Some of these services include entry-level English classes, help with citizenship and mental healthcare. Right now, the center serves nearly 13,000 refugees. Padilla says they’ve seen a 30% increase since January. A lot of them are coming from Ukraine, Togo, Afghanistan, or Korea.

“I think with everything that is going on, there is more influx of people coming to the U.S.,” Padilla said.

And with so many people coming every day from so many countries, it’s creating a strain on the senior center’s staff.

“When we don’t have the interpreter it’s hard to communicate and help them as they should be,” Padilla said.

And a lot of them are normally looking for a new start.

“I think right now it’s a mix of those who couldn’t come during COVID and the new ones who applied who were now allowed to come to the U.S.,” Padilla said.

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