OUR COMMUNITY

T

he state of Michigan has
allocated $500,000 to
help house about 1,300
Afghan refugees expected to
arrive in the state, officials
announced this month.
As the Taliban continues to
exert power over Afghanistan,
resettlement agencies across
the U.S. are preparing to
support an influx of Afghan
refugees fleeing the country.
Jewish Family Services (JFS)
of Washtenaw County is one
of five resettlement groups
the state of Michigan is working with in
helping the refugees.
The office of Global Michigan,
part of the state Labor and Economic
Opportunity department, secured the
half-million dollars from the Michigan
State Housing Development Authority
to “temporarily house the arrivals until
resettlement agencies can secure their
permanent housing,” the department
said.
With three to four days’ notice about
specific refugees prior to their arrival
to Michigan, JFS of Washtenaw County
starts preparing for their arrival by
looking for temporary hotels to place
them in. If the refugees have friends or
family in the area that are going to host
them, JFS will take them to that home.
JFS of Washtenaw County also
starts reaching out to its network of
volunteers to begin gathering items for
families, as many of them aren’t arriving
with enough clothing or food.
“We start speaking with our
community partners, health clinics,
schools, food pantries, counseling
services, transportation, ESL, youth
services and start preparing for their
arrival in terms of other auxiliary

services,” said Shrina Eadeh, director
of the resettlement program at JFS of
Washtenaw County.
After they arrive, the resettlement
process begins.
From the moment the refugees
are placed in temporary hotels, and
even before, JFS is looking for more
permanent housing options for them.
Eadeh says the housing options are
a bit low right now, so they’ve been
reaching out to a lot of landlords and
property management companies in
Washtenaw County to see if they have
any apartments available.
“We are still currently looking for and
will need quite a bit of housing for the
Afghan refugees.”
In terms of numbers, JFS of
Washtenaw County could be looking
at about 800 individuals they will be
resettling in their immediate area in the
next year, if not more.

HOW TO HELP
There are many ways the public
can help with the Afghan refugees’
transition.
“If anybody knows anybody who
has any housing options available,

apartments to rent, homes
to rent, we would certainly
welcome those referrals,”
Eadeh said.
General donations for
auxiliary services, such as
food, clothing and housing, are
also more than welcome, says
JFS of Washtenaw County’s
Chief Development Officer
Devon Meier.
“All the auxiliary services
we offer here, it’s wrap-around
for our refugee clients,” Meier
said. “Those general donations
that come in all go into the same pot to
be able to provide the full wrap-around
service approach.”
JFS of Washtenaw County helps
refugees like those from Afghanistan
from the day they arrive in the U.S. until
the day they receive citizenship, not
just their first 90 days. JFS goes beyond
the 90 days in a comprehensive post-
resettlement, helping with employment,
getting kids settled, helping out with
youth services and more.
“Being the only resettlement agency
within Washtenaw County, it’s a big job,
but it’s a privilege, an honor and a moral
obligation for this agency,” Meier said.
“It’s the essence of the mission of what
we do of creating solutions, promoting
dignity and inspiring humanity. With
much responsibility comes the need
for much support, and it truly takes a
village to be able to make this happen.”
The Michigan Department of Labor
and Economic Opportunity also
announced a new website, Michigan.
gov/afghanarrivals, that the public can
use as a resource to donate or volunteer
to help the refugees. To help JFS of
Washtenaw County, visit jfsannarbor.
org/resettlement-integration-services.

$500,000 allocated to help house Afghan refugees will help
JFS of Washtenaw County, other resettlement groups.
Helping Afghan Refugees

DANNY SCHWARTZ STAFF WRITER

22 | OCTOBER 28 • 2021