73 Portland Jobs at Risk in Child Care Grant Fight
Layoffs at Morrison would begin December 31 unless the federal grant behind its children's programs is renewed.
Updated on Nov. 3, 2026 in Immigration
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Seventy-three workers at Morrison Health & Family Services in Portland could lose their jobs on December 31 if federal funding for two programs serving unaccompanied children is not renewed.
Why it matters
The positions cover home study casework, long-term group home care and post-release services for children who arrive in the U.S. without a parent or caregiver, so the outcome depends on whether the Office of Refugee Resettlement renews Morrison's grant. The filing comes as the number of children in federal care has fallen sharply from the 22,000 reported under the previous administration, and the renewal decision remains open.
Morrison's WARN notice lists 73 possible layoffs across six job categories, with the largest groups being 16 milieu counselors and 15 case managers. Unaccompanied children in federal care now number just over 1,600, down from 22,000 under the previous administration, while border encounters fell from 6,114 in December 2024 to 733 in February 2025.
The players
Morrison Health & Family Services
The Portland-area provider that runs the Home Study & Post Release Services program and the Long Term Group Home for unaccompanied children, and filed the layoff notice.
Office of Refugee Resettlement
The federal office within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services that funds Morrison's programs and will decide whether to renew the grant.
The details
Morrison Health & Family Services filed a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification with the state on October 30 announcing that 73 jobs could be lost. The two programs at risk are the Home Study & Post Release Services program, which serves unaccompanied children who enter the U.S. without a parent or caregiver, and the Long Term Group Home, which provides long-term residential care; both are funded by a grant from the Office of Refugee Resettlement, which sits within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The layoffs would take effect December 31 unless the grant is renewed, and both programs would close if it is not.
Timeline
October 30, 2026: Morrison files its WARN notice with the state.
December 31, 2026: Layoffs take effect unless the Office of Refugee Resettlement renews the grant.
Beyond the Bridges
The number of unaccompanied children in federal care has dropped from 22,000 under the previous administration to just over 1,600 now, the same downward trend that is reflected in border encounters falling from 6,114 in December 2024 to 733 by February 2025. That decline is the context in which the Office of Refugee Resettlement is weighing whether to keep funding Portland's group home and case-management programs.
If the grant is not renewed, 73 Portland-area workers, including counselors, case managers and caseworkers, would lose their jobs on December 31, and the local group home and post-release services for children would close. Residents who want to follow the outcome can watch for the grant decision from the federal office, which will determine whether those services continue locally.
The takeaway
The fate of 73 Portland jobs and two children's programs now rests on a federal grant decision that has not been made yet. Watch for the Office of Refugee Resettlement's renewal decision ahead of the December 31 date.
What happens next
The Office of Refugee Resettlement's decision on renewing Morrison's grant will determine whether the layoffs take effect on December 31.
Further reading
For background on the federal rules shaping services like these, see the Immigration coverage section.
Source note: This article includes information reported by KOIN 6 Portland.
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