Yesterday, at New Garden Friends, a meeting was held to provide an overview of the history of refugee resettlement in Greensboro, the needs of refugees, and to inform individuals and groups how they can get involved and help. We learned from attending the meeting that last year, out of the nearly 70,000 refugees resettled in the United States, 2,475 were resettled in North Carolina and 671 were resettled in Greensboro. We also learned they receive very little financial assistance and they want nothing more than to become self-sufficient. They all arrive needing housing, a job, and a way to establish a credit rating. Sometimes, they need psychological, emotional, and spiritual help. The faith groups, social service agencies, the government, and individuals work together as efficiently as possible to start the road to self-sufficiency.
The above photo features Stephanie Adams, Office Director at Church World Service of Greensboro. She was very helpful in explaining to the audience what happens in the first few years of arriving in the United States and the nature of the help needed. Each refugee receives a mere $925 to start life here. That money goes to housing, medicine, food, utilities, clothing (e.g., work boots), school supplies, transportation, and more. If you are interested in helping, you can contact Stephanie at [email protected]. Specific things you can do are 1) help with apartment set up, 2) provide assistance in getting a social security card, 3) teach a family how to use Greensboro's busses, 4) provide cultural orientation, 5) help with transportation, and 6) help with communication issues and learning English. People who provide this help are often surprised to find out how much they personally benefitted from developing deep and caring relationships with Greensboro's newest citizens. If you are looking for a way to make 2016 a memorable year, call CWS, or one of the other agencies helping refugees, and volunteer your services today.
Informative and meaningful.
Posted by: Jane T. Mitchell | Sunday, January 10, 2016 at 09:46 AM
It's a very good thing to help these people- and in the long run we're the better for it as a society.
Posted by: William Kendall | Sunday, January 10, 2016 at 03:37 PM