By Emerson Wigand
Capital News Service

Michigan aid organizations are scrambling to provide housing and services for 1,300 Afghan refugees they’ve pledged to resettle, some of whom will be heading to Kent County.

To answer the call, Kent County has created the Gateways for Growth Welcome Plan Steering Committee, which is working to coordinate residents, businesses, organizations and funders to support the hundreds of Afghan refugees who will be arriving in West Michigan. These opportunities will address their essential needs, such as housing, supportive services, mental health care, and volunteers to help them adjust to life in the United States.

“Creating a welcoming community takes all of us coming together in support of our neighbors, whether its our long-time residents or individuals who just arrived,” said representatives from the Kent County Gateways for Growth Welcome Plan Steering Committee. “We are encouraging our community to join together to ensure these families have the resources and support they need to resettle in West Michigan.”

Won’t You Be My Neighbor?

“These are really nice, hardworking and kind people,” said Kurt Richter, a Michigan State University associate professor who helped evacuate more than 70 Afghan staff and scholars from the country. “I would welcome them as my neighbors.”

And they also can be strong contributors to the state’s economy, said Richter, who ran the university’s Grain Research and Innovation Project in Afghanistan. The MSU refugees are in Albania where they await transport to the United States.

Also waiting are about 60,000 refugees who were evacuated to U.S. military bases for resettlement following the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, said Judi Harris, the director of refugee development in St. Vincent Catholic Charities, a faith-based nonprofit in Lansing that has pledged to resettle 300 Afghan refugees in Ingham County.

One family was recently settled in West Michigan by Samaritas, according to Rev. Bill Danaher, who is a board member of the faith-based social service agency. Samaritas has pledged to support 350 refugees. The West Michigan location was chosen because of the existing Afghan community there, Danaher said, adding that beyond housing, it is important to find the refugees a welcoming environment, which is why there are efforts to help settle refugees near other Afghan families.

 

Representatives from Samritas along with representatives from Kent County, City of Grand Rapids, West Michigan Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and the Grand Rapids Area Chamber of Commerce comprised The Gateways for Growth Welcome Plan Steering Committee. The committee has worked with local partners to compile a list of prioritized needs and ways the broader community can contribute.

 

A Place to Call Home

The most immediate need is housing. An Afghan Housing Resource survey was created for Kent County to capture housing resources people can offer, such as access to a rental property or extra rooms in their homes.

Harris said, for future arrivals, permanent options may be limited. They may need temporary housing in hotels.

The Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity has secured $500,000 to assist in these costs. The funding came from an existing Michigan State Housing Development Authority fund for rent assistance open to non-citizens.

 

Such support is important as resettlement can be expensive and require lots of work, said the Rev. Bill Danaher, of Christ Church Cranbrook in Bloomfield Hills. It costs about $57,000 a year to support a family of seven. Most of these costs are handled by community organizations.

“The government only does so much,” Danaher said. “We know there will be significant costs despite the government funding we are receiving.”

Other needs that the Kent County The Gateways for Growth Welcome Plan Steering Committee has identified are:

• Financial Resources and Volunteers – Local agencies need assistance to meet the social, emotional, educational, economic, and immediate service needs of the refugees. The initial list of agencies include Bethany Christian Services, Bhutanese Community of Michigan, Noor’s Heaven of West Michigan Services, The Refugee Education Center, Samaritas, Treetops Collective and the West Michigan Asian American Association.
  
  
  
• Mental Health – Mental health practitioners are invited to complete the Mental Health Provider survey to learn how they can support the wellness of New Americans, also known as immigrants and refugees.
  

That’s why D-Birmingham Rep. Mari Manoogian’s resolution, which the House adopted Oct. 14, is important, he said. It can help address apprehension some Michigan residents may have to Afghan refugees.

This welcome should not be limited to communities with Afghan populations. such as Grand Rapids and Lansing, Danaher said. These refugees will be resettled across the state.

“Your voice matters,” Danaher testified during a hearing on the resolution. “The state of Michigan needs to say that these refugees are welcome.”

Despite the intense vetting, some people might have unfounded fears regarding Afghan refugees, Danaher said. Therefore these state level efforts help support work at the community level.

Helping to Build a Better Economy

Welcoming Afghan refugees to the state is not just the right thing to do, but the smart one, Danaher said. Refugees in Michigan have generated about $200 million of new businesses and jobs in the economy.

 

Three-quarters of refugees are self-sufficient within six months of resettlement, Danaher said. It normally takes 10 volunteers to help host a family for six months, he said. 

Samaritas is looking for volunteers to help, he said. Danaher said he hopes support from the state and legislators will help bring attention and energy among Michigan residents.

Michigan has also set up a webpage to gather donations and volunteers for the organizations involved. Local residents are encouraged to visit the Kent County Gateways for Growth website or follow its Facebook page to view the list of ways to support local Afghan refugees and to learn more about the Welcome Plan’s goal and objectives to foster a sense of belonging in Kent County.

Joanne Bailey-Boorsma contributed to this story.