Whatcom approved as refugee resettlement site. Here’s how to help
Whatcom County has been approved as a resettlement site for Afghan refugees, according to an agency helping find new homes for people leaving their homeland as the U.S. military ends its 20-year war and the Taliban regains control of the government.
“Based on the application we submitted to (the State Department’s Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration) profiling Whatcom County and the level of community support we’ve already seen for this project, we are thrilled to report that official approval was granted in mid-September, making us one of the first new proposed World Relief sites to gain recognition,” the Whatcom Refugee Resettlement Project stated in an email to The Bellingham Herald.
World Relief has proposed resettling up to 75 people in Whatcom County, including about 25 from Afghanistan, and the first families could begin arriving early next year, the email said.
“Soon we will begin the work of recruiting, vetting and training volunteers who can walk alongside refugee families as they arrive and start their new lives,” the email said.
There’s been a surge of concern and offers of aid in the form of donations, volunteer work and housing.
“A vitally important need in the coming months will be the availability of both temporary and long-term housing for refugees,” the email said.
Washington state is among the top U.S. states for refugee resettlement, according to the advocacy group National Immigration Forum, the Pew Research Center and the Migration Policy Institute.
Steven Shetterly of World Relief said the process for Afghans fleeing their homeland has been approved by the federal government in cooperation with nonprofit agencies and was established by law.
Refugees could also be arriving from Syria, Venezuela, Myanmar and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
To help, contact World Relief Seattle online at worldreliefseattle.org or call 253-277-1121 or see Whatcom Refugee Project pages on Facebook and Instagram.
This story was originally published September 24, 2021 at 5:00 AM.
