As Afghan refugees are released from U.S. military bases “to start rebuilding their lives in the United States, they are bumping up against an unexpected obstacle: the housing crisis,” reports Miriam Jordan in the New York Times.
“Resettlement agencies have been scrambling to find rentals in cities like Los Angeles, Phoenix and St. Louis as well in towns like Owensboro and Reno, Nev., where lease properties are in short supply, expensive or both. The coronavirus pandemic, complaints of discrimination and the sheer number of newly arriving Afghans have also posed challenges,” Jordan notes.
According to the article, as of Monday, more than 40,000 Afghans had completed their processing and departed for new homes, while another 30,000 remained on seven military bases “that the government hopes to empty as soon as possible.”
For months, Afghan evacuees have been living in temporary camps on U.S. military bases. “Now, as they move into permanent homes, some will be heading to communities with long histories of offering refuge to people fleeing danger. But not necessarily to the bustling and multicultural cities you may imagine,” National Geographic notes in a recent article about refugee resettlement in the U.S.
“In small town America, refugee resettlement programs have won over residents by reversing population declines and replenishing shrinking labor pools, data show. Religious traditions that encourage care for foreigners, as well as close-knit communities, have proved conducive to forming neighborly bonds,” reports Nina Strochlic in her article.
The Immigration and Refugee News Digest 