Five ways to help displaced Afghan families coming to Greater Columbus
About 350 displaced Afghans are looking to start their new lives in Columbus in the coming months, and there are plenty of ways for the public to help.
Ohio received a notification from the Biden administration in early September that the state will take in a total of 855 Afghan nationals in the next six months. They are a part of the first group of nearly 37,000 evacuees who were able to make their way to the U.S. following the chaotic military withdrawal in August.
Columbus’ two resettlement agencies, Community Refugee and Immigration Services (CRIS) and US Together, will facilitate the resettlement of 345 Afghan nationals. Staff members are expecting to soon start receiving incoming Afghan families.
Most of the Afghans came here through a little-known program called humanitarian parole. Under the U.S. Department of State’s Afghan Placement and Assistance Program, Afghan parolees are not eligible for the full range of resettlement services that regular refugees are entitled to.
Local agencies are hoping to provide additional services to the parolees to meet their needs in Columbus. Here are five ways you can help.
Become a volunteer
You can apply to be a volunteer with the two organizations, helping new arrivals practice English, set up housing, enroll at local food pantries and in a variety of other ways. CRIS is also assembling a welcome team that will focus on connecting refugees with the rest of the Columbus community. Check out the
volunteer pages at CRIS (www.crisohio.org/volunteer) and US Together (www.ustogether.us/volunteer-intern) to sign up.
Make a donation
As with traditional refugee resettlement, local agencies will get a one-time $2,275 stipend for every Afghan parolee they relocate, $1,225 of which will be used to pay for the person’s expenses. But families often need more financial resources to pay for rent, utility bills, bus passes and other expenses before they get stable incomes. You can make direct donations to the agencies on their websites to support the newcomers.
Offer housing
Finding safe and affordable housing options for refugee families has always been a challenge for local resettlement agencies. If you are a landlord and are looking to rent to Afghans and other refugees, you can contact CRIS at refugeehousing@cris-ohio.org and US Together at hdiallo@ustogether.us to give them your information.
The organizations are also working with Airbnb to provide temporary housing to new arrivals. You may visit Airbnb’s website to offer a stay to Afghan parolees before they find permanent housing.
Participate in CRIS’ 5k race
CRIS is holding its eighth annual 5k race next month. The live event will take place on Oct. 9 at Alum Creek Park North in Westerville. You can also participate virtually anytime between Oct. 6 and Oct. 10. Through the CRIS website, you can find more information about the race and other ways to support the organization’s fundraising efforts.
Donate household items
CRIS has compiled a list of items it needs to make individual and household welcome kits for new refugees –– ranging from trash bags and laundry baskets to kitchen appliances and first aid supplies.
You may reach out to the two agencies at volunteer@cris-ohio.org and lbanaie@ustogether.us to help them come up with the supplies so that they can spend the federal stipends on housing and other expenses.
Yilun Cheng is a Report for America corps member and covers immigration issues for The Dispatch. Your donation to match our RFA grant helps keep her writing stories like this one. Please consider making a tax-deductible donation at https://bit.ly/3fnsgaz. ycheng@dispatch.com @Chengyilun