Groups launch $8.5M campaign for Afghans
Four refugee resettlement organizations in Houston are teaming up to raise $8.5 million that will go to Afghans who have recently been evacuated after the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan.
Donations will go toward the new Houston Afghan Refugee Fund, which will be available to the participating resettlement agencies.
The new fundraising effort comes as Afghan families are arriving in Houston under “humanitarian parole,” an emergency designation that lets them swiftly enter the country, but means they will not be eligible for the usual federally funded benefits and support that traditional refugees receive.
To make up for shortcomings in federal funding, and ensure robust services for incoming Afghan “parolees,” four Houstonbased refugee agencies — Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston, Interfaith Ministries for Greater Houston, YMCA of Greater Houston and the Alliance — have created the special fund to help foot the bill for whatever the federal government won’t cover.
“Houston leads the nation in diversity, and we are a welcoming city,” said Cynthia Colbert, CEO of Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston, on behalf of the Houston Afghan Resettlement Collaborative. “Our four agencies are engaging in this unique collaboration in order to best coordinate our efforts and the resources of the community to provide effective and efficient service delivery to the many Afghan families who are coming to Houston in the coming months. Collectively, we have many decades of experience in working with refugees and other newcomers to our community. A multi-agency collaboration gives funders and philanthropists the opportunity to welcome our new neighbors and provide them with critically needed services as they begin their new lives in the Houston region.”
The four agencies are asking Houston area foundations, philanthropists, businesses and individual donors to help cover the costs of housing, medical care, English classes, legal support and other services for Afghan parolees. These services are seen as critical to the resettlement process, as they help families become quickly self-sufficient and integrated into the community.
Though organizations are receiving some funding from the State Department to offset resettlement costs — $1,225 per Afghan parolee — refugee agency Interfaith Ministries estimates additional costs to their organization are around $2,780 per individual to provide services for a period of six months. To resettle a family of four, the bill for agencies would be more than $11,000.
The anticipated costs add up, considering Houston area refugee agencies are expecting to welcome some 3,000 Afghan parolees by the end of March. That figure is more than triple the total number of refugees, from all countries, resettled in the state of Texas in 2020.
Separate from the Houston Afghan Refugee Fund, each agency is also asking for individual donations of items to get families set up in their new homes.
Interfaith Ministries has an ongoing drive for TVs and radios, which help expose families to American culture, news and the English language.
The Alliance has requested furniture and bed frames, kitchen appliances, laptops, diapers, cleaning supplies among other items.
YMCA has set up an Amazon Wishlist where people can donate in-demand items. Their top need currently is new mattresses, according to their website.
Catholic Charities is asking for cash donations that will pay for the clothing and other household needs of the Afghans.