SPRINGFIELD — More than 100 volunteers have stepped up to help Afghan refugees resettle in the area, according to Jewish Family Service of Western Massachusetts, but finding housing for those refugees in a tight apartment market remains the biggest challenge.
“The response from the community has been very beautiful and overwhelmingly kind,” said Jewish Family Service president and CEO Maxine Stein. “It’s an incredibly beautiful response we are seeing from the community at large. I think it is a reflection of the responsibility we feel as Americans.”
The refugees are fleeing Afghanistan following the U.S. military’s withdrawal last month after 20 years of war. The extremist Taliban group has retaken control of the country and many fear reprisals for cooperating with Americans and allied forces.
In Western Massachusetts there is a shortage of housing generally, especially for affordable accommodations.
“I think our biggest concern is where to house people,” Stein said Monday.
So she’s looking for apartments, Airbnbs, mother-in-law-type apartment and any other accommodations that can be had for a period of weeks or months. Also, Jewish Family Service has an Amazon “wishlist” of items like pillows, pots and pans, and kitchen knives it is asking people to purchase and donate to help the new arrivals set up households. The agency is not yet asking for clothing or furniture.
Among those 100-or-so volunteers, Stein said her group is looking for speakers of the language Pashto, particularly Pashto speakers in the Berkshires. Jewish Family Service has speakers of the other major Afghan language, Farsi, on staff.
All told, three Western Massachusetts resettlement organizations expect a total of 410 refugees, Stein said Monday, drawing on the most recent count in a situation that changes day by day.
Catholic Charities Agency expects 60 people. Ascentria Care Alliance expects 100 refugees to be resettled through its office in West Springfield and another 100 settled through its Worcester office.
As of Monday, Jewish Family Service expected a total of 150 refugees. Out of those, it expects to resettle 30 through its office in Framingham, 60 in Berkshire County and the remaining 60 in the Pioneer Valley, with most being in Springfield itself, Stein said.
Like the other agencies, Jewish Family Service doesn’t yet know exactly when people will arrive, Stein said. But it has been asked to confirm “assurance” of its first two cases, which are is an administrative step in the resettlement process. These are two young men who are friends, Stein said.
She said Jewish Family Service is working to make sure all the new arrivals are vaccinated against COVID-19. The refugees are being tested while they are processed at U.S. military bases. Many will come eligible for benefits like food stamps, but many are coming with documents authorizing them to work in the U.S., and the hope is that more refugees are getting that paperwork in order before arriving.
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