Yemeni Family Needs Housing Support in Rome

Title: Yemeni Family Needs Housing Support in Rome

I am seeking assistance in securing housing for my family of 11, refugees from Yemen who entered Italy legally through humanitarian channels and whose financial assistance from the Italian government has now stopped.

Four years ago, in 2018, a GoFundMe fundraiser helped me evacuate my family from the civil war in Yemen. With your help and the help of many organizations in Italy and elsewhere, my family began their three year journey from Yemen to Cairo and, finally, at the end of 2021 they arrived in Italy, where they have been renting an apartment in Padua as I continue contract-based, sporadic work in Rome with the World Food Program and the EU European Asylum Support Office.

A few days ago, they were told they would soon be evicted from their apartment in Padua. My aim is to bring them to Rome so we can be reunited and where it it easier for me to find work in the UN and EU systems. My sporadic work while supporting my large family, including medical bills for two of my children (they have never received their medical coverage cards from the government) has me near destitution. However, I have found an apartment to rent for one year for 6000 Euro (plus 1000 Euro deposit). If we can secure this housing, our immediate crisis will be behind us and we can starting looking for work for my older children and continuing their Italian language training.

Finding work is becoming harder for me. After nearly 30 years working in humanitarian relief and good governance in Somalia, Yemen, Uganda, Yemen, Sudan, Italy, and Greece for UNHCR, UNDPKO, WFP, and EU/EASO, I am now only able to secure sporadic contracts. I am also an alumnus of the U.S. State Department’s International Visitor Leadership Program. I would welcome any additional work or leads for work within the UN or other humanitarian organizations.