Help Syrian Refugee Family of Seven
Donation protected
End of campaign update: We have closed this campaign after coming very, very close to the goal. Thank you all for your amazing donations. Samer and his family have a car and six months of insurance paid for. We also raised enough money to pay their rent for two months and then some extra for utilities.
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Samer and his family are from Homs, Syria. They were forced to flee Homs after their house was bombed by the Syrian military in 2012. Samer first took his family to live with a relative in Damascus, but fearing that his oldest son might be forced into Assad’s military, he decided to escape to Jordan with his wife, their four kids (at the time they were age 5-11) and his elderly father. They spent four years as refugees in Jordan where life was difficult, especially for the three boys, who were bullied in school. In 2016 they finally made it through the intense refugee vetting system and were granted refugee status in the United States. They arrived in Atlanta in September 2016. Their home city of Homs is now reduced almost completely to rubble.
Upon arrival in the US, they were granted three months worth of rent and medical assistance through the refugee resettlement agency, World Relief. Despite very limited English skills, Samer quickly found work in construction. He works 6 days a week pouring cement, but is not able to earn enough money to cover the family’s rent and utilities. The family was settled in a location that does not have good transit access, so they are extremely isolated and have trouble accomplishing basic tasks, like buying groceries and going to medical appointments.
Samer and family have now been in Atlanta for 5 months and they are struggling with two main issues: earning enough money to pay their living expenses, and transportation. These issues are exacerbated by the fact that no one in the family speaks English yet. The goal of this campaign is to raise $12,000, enough money to buy them a car and pay their rent/utilities for the next 6 months.
I live in Atlanta and I have known Samer and his family since October, when I volunteered to donate furniture for them to set up their apartment. Since that time, I have become an advocate for the family, helping them learn how to navigate processes to get basic tasks accomplished (e.g., filling prescriptions at a pharmacy) and connecting them to other resources for assistance.
Many refugee families receive 9 months of rent support when they are resettled in the US: three months of support from the sponsoring agency and an additional 6 months of federal grant. Due to the increase in refugee numbers during 2016, the federal grant money ran out. This family was one of the unlucky families that received rent support for only 3 months. Starting in January, the family has been on their own to pay their rent and utilities. Their rent is $1,250 monthly.
In this difficult time for refugees your contribution will serve as more than an act of charity. Any amount makes a huge difference--all funds will be managed through this site. Rent will be paid directly to their leasing manager. I will withdraw the money and pay their rent ($1,250) directly to their leasing agency each month. I will withdraw $3,300 of the funds to purchase a used car, and car insurance, for the family. Any remaining amount will be given directly to Samer to pay his utility bills. I am choosing to withdraw it myself because a lump sum of cash paid directly to Samer could cause him to lose food stamp benefits in the long term, which would defeat the cause.
Please pass this along to any others who might wish to help. Thank you so much!
________________________________________________________
Samer and his family are from Homs, Syria. They were forced to flee Homs after their house was bombed by the Syrian military in 2012. Samer first took his family to live with a relative in Damascus, but fearing that his oldest son might be forced into Assad’s military, he decided to escape to Jordan with his wife, their four kids (at the time they were age 5-11) and his elderly father. They spent four years as refugees in Jordan where life was difficult, especially for the three boys, who were bullied in school. In 2016 they finally made it through the intense refugee vetting system and were granted refugee status in the United States. They arrived in Atlanta in September 2016. Their home city of Homs is now reduced almost completely to rubble.
Upon arrival in the US, they were granted three months worth of rent and medical assistance through the refugee resettlement agency, World Relief. Despite very limited English skills, Samer quickly found work in construction. He works 6 days a week pouring cement, but is not able to earn enough money to cover the family’s rent and utilities. The family was settled in a location that does not have good transit access, so they are extremely isolated and have trouble accomplishing basic tasks, like buying groceries and going to medical appointments.
Samer and family have now been in Atlanta for 5 months and they are struggling with two main issues: earning enough money to pay their living expenses, and transportation. These issues are exacerbated by the fact that no one in the family speaks English yet. The goal of this campaign is to raise $12,000, enough money to buy them a car and pay their rent/utilities for the next 6 months.
I live in Atlanta and I have known Samer and his family since October, when I volunteered to donate furniture for them to set up their apartment. Since that time, I have become an advocate for the family, helping them learn how to navigate processes to get basic tasks accomplished (e.g., filling prescriptions at a pharmacy) and connecting them to other resources for assistance.
Many refugee families receive 9 months of rent support when they are resettled in the US: three months of support from the sponsoring agency and an additional 6 months of federal grant. Due to the increase in refugee numbers during 2016, the federal grant money ran out. This family was one of the unlucky families that received rent support for only 3 months. Starting in January, the family has been on their own to pay their rent and utilities. Their rent is $1,250 monthly.
In this difficult time for refugees your contribution will serve as more than an act of charity. Any amount makes a huge difference--all funds will be managed through this site. Rent will be paid directly to their leasing manager. I will withdraw the money and pay their rent ($1,250) directly to their leasing agency each month. I will withdraw $3,300 of the funds to purchase a used car, and car insurance, for the family. Any remaining amount will be given directly to Samer to pay his utility bills. I am choosing to withdraw it myself because a lump sum of cash paid directly to Samer could cause him to lose food stamp benefits in the long term, which would defeat the cause.
Please pass this along to any others who might wish to help. Thank you so much!
Organizer
Emily Flowers
Organizer
Atlanta, GA
