Afghan refugees coming to Sacramento

Already home to one of the largest Afghan communities in the country, the Sacramento area is receiving an influx of refugees displaced by the Taliban’s swift takeover of Afghanistan in the wake of the withdrawal of U.S. troops.

Evacuees coming to the U.S. are starting their lives anew, and on short notice. To give a sense of scale, Sacramento Food Bank and Family Services, which helps with refugee resettlement, saw six times as many cases as they would in a normal month in the space of a few weeks, according to spokeswoman Melanie Flood.

“In the past, we had about a 10 to 14 days lead time ... and we would have time to prepare and get ready,” Flood said. “We’ve been finding out one or two days before that someone’s coming. I even have some of our caseworkers tell me that they received calls at 11:30 p.m. at night telling them someone was coming the next day.”

World Relief Sacramento, a Christian humanitarian organization that works on resettlement, said it’s received at least 10 families and more than 50 people in the past two weeks alone. World Relief ’s Vanessa Hamra said flights out of Afghanistan are changing and uncertain.

“We hope more will come,” Hamra said over email.

Refugees need help with everything from short-term, temporary housing to permanent places to stay and language services as they transition to life in the U.S. The Sacramento Bee reached out to community organizations and groups helping with resettlement to find ways people can support the Afghan community.

In the past two weeks, more than 30 volunteers helped World Relief set up apartments for the 10 families. Volunteer needs have rapidly evolved in recent weeks.

Opening Doors, a Sacramento resettlement agency, recently relaunched its volunteer program that was suspended during the pandemic. People can volunteer to meet new arrivals at the airport, help them navigate Sacramento, and work with them on their English. Information is available at www.openingdoorsinc.org.