My friends and I are raising money to support Afghan refugee resettlement in the East Bay, California. We are supporting Jewish Family and Community Services (JFCS) - East Bay to set Afghan families up for their new lives. This means furnishing apartments as well as providing funds for rent, utilities, and other basic needs. Because of their special visa status, Afghan refugees are often ineligible for many of the Bay Area assistance programs (that largely target undocumented immigrants).

 

To help them get settled, we are raising $3,000 total in cash assistance and donations of home goods (to see our list of needed items, click here ). If you’d like, you can also purchase items directly from JFCS’ Amazon wishlist .

 

Interested? Read below for more details:

 

Since the fall of Kabul to the Taliban in Aug 15, 2021, refugee resettlement agencies across the U.S. have scrambled to prepare for the influx of Afghan evacuees. JFCS is a local Bay Area organization working to set refugees up for success in the U.S., but they are currently overwhelmed. JFCS has resettled more Afghan families in the last three months than in the previous two YEARS combined. Despite the outpouring of support they’ve received, they can always use more support in securing affordable housing and equipping homes with furniture and other essentials.

 

The majority of refugees coming to Oakland right now come through an SI visa, reserved for Iraqi and Afghan translators/interpreters who worked for the US military and are no longer safe in their home country. The U.S. government provides a set amount of money - only $4,625 for a family of five refugees to help them resettle once they arrive. This amount of money is the same if they resettle in Boise, ID or Oakland, CA. These funds are the only U.S. government assistance they receive and are meant to cover housing, food, clothing, and any other expenses they may have. Think about setting up a three bedroom apartment in Oakland - $4,625 hardly covers the deposit and first month's rent, let alone furniture, groceries, etc. JFCS and other local organizations provide English lessons, job training, and other support to help newly arrived families become self-sufficient in six months.

 

We have decided to support JFCS and help to resettle refugee families because we feel strongly about the right to movement and that everyone deserves a safe place to call home. This is a small action we can take to welcome families to our town. We are excited to raise awareness and donations from our community. Thank you for joining us.

Organized by: Kristina Hallez, Sarah Stillman, Dan Cassara, Julia Byrd, and Aaron Byrd.