Supporting Afghan Arrivals

As New AP’s Nancy Gaddy explained to us, the hundreds of Afghan families arriving here possess little more than the clothes on their backs. Many are educated professionals (tech workers, accountants, translators) who had been assisting United States personnel in Afghanistan. They escaped their homeland abruptly in August and September under chaotic, traumatic circumstances, leaving careers, property, savings, and maybe loved ones behind. They then landed in extremely temporary housing, such as tents on army bases. 

These people are not coming through the usual vetted refugee pipeline. They have the emergency status “humanitarian parolees.” That means fewer federal dollars per person for housing. And because of the current housing crunch, they may end up resettled far beyond DeKalb, in other parts of metro Atlanta and Georgia. Agencies are looking into hotel space for starters, which would put family groups in single rooms without kitchens. 

(As an additional wrinkle, resettlement organizations had scaled way down under the previous administration, with refugee inflow down to a trickle. They must now ramp up dramatically to meet the influx.)

For now, we are supporting immediate priorities as requested: gifts, gift cards, coats, office help, etc. 

In 2022, as the Afghans hopefully move into more permanent housing, volunteers will be able to start working with families directly, as English tutors and so on. That phase may require training and background check. Updates to follow.