Difficult News for Our Sponsored Family, & How to Help Afghan Refugees Find Housing and Jobs

Afghan refugees in our area NEED HELP to find affordable housing and decent entry-level jobs.

These are critical for both groups of local refugees: those recently housed (the minority) and those in hotels. We’re sad to report that due to an unexpected rent increase, our sponsored family will be forced to leave their current home by the end of June. And other refugee families languishing in hotels have yet to find any permanent housing. With government and nonprofit support or subsidies committed for only six months, these families need steady incomes as soon as possible.

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) has a team of dedicated staff assigned to these critical support needs, but UUCville can also make a difference. What can we bring? We have networks of friends, neighbors and colleagues. Many of us are familiar with local businesses and neighborhoods. These are exactly the resources we can tap to help! Working closely with the IRC’s employment and housing specialists, UUCville congregants can help make it happen.

Please give some thought to WHAT you know, WHO you know, and ANY opportunities you may become aware of for refugee housing or employment. The following criteria will help you follow IRC guidelines, avoid duplication, and maximize our abilities to help these newcomers.

HOUSING CRITERIA

*Rents must not exceed the following: 3-4 bedroom <$1600/month, 2 bedroom <$1400/month, 1 bedroom <$1200/month.

*Housing must be accessible to public transportation/near a bus line.

*Alerting us to rentals that are not yet listed can offer a better chance.

*Situations where we know a landlord is willing to lease to refugee families are best.

Here is information on Landlord Advantages of renting to IRC-supported refugees.

JOBS CRITERIA

*Jobs must be full-time positions paying a minimum of $15/hour.

*Jobs must be accessible to public transportation/near a bus line.

*Identify where you have a connection so we can flag applications for attention and support.

*Widely-known vacancies such as those at fast food chains or grocery stores will already be familiar to IRC’s employment specialists; please exclude these suggestions.

*Keep in mind that most of the applicants, while they are rapidly learning English, for now have only basic or limited English language skills.

If you know of a job or available housing that meet these criteria, please send a link/brief description to the IRC at hannah.scully@rescue.org with a CC to mentors@uucharlottesville.org. Please INCLUDE the subject headings UUCville Job Tip or UUCville Housing Tip.

THANK YOU for your wholehearted, incredible support!