Columbus City Council votes Monday on whether to give the Bhutanese Community of Central Ohio a $45,000 grant meant to fill a gap in federal funding.
Council’s Monday agenda says the Bhutanese Community of Central Ohio, also known as the Bhutanese Nepali Community of Central Ohio, is a non-profit agency serving the region’s Bhutanese and Nepali population. It lost about 90 percent of its federal funding with the non-renewal of the Office of Refugee Resettlement’s grant.
That comes as the Bhutanese-Nepali refugee population in Central Ohio has seen massive growth. Council says it’s increased by nearly 400 percent in the past eight years.
The organization helps case manage nearly 2,000 refugees and their families annually.
The $45,000 grant would come from the city's Neighborhood Initiatives subfund.
