United Way of Tucson and Southern Arizona is using emergency funding grants totaling $45,000 to be distributed among three partners serving as refugee resettlement agencies.
The aid from community donations will be used in Tucson by International Rescue Committee, Lutheran Social Services of the Southwest and Catholic Community Services of Southern Arizona to help Afghanistan refugees with needs including rent, food and utilities, said Lisa Floran, senior director of financial wellness at United Way.
The refugee resettlement agencies also receive federal funding for direct assistance for the Afghans.
About 100 more Afghanistan evacuees are anticipated to arrive in Tucson within the next two weeks as part of Operation Allies Refuge, a military operation that airlifted certain at-risk Afghan civilians, interpreters, U.S. embassy employees and other prospective Special Immigrant Visa and humanitarian parolee applicants.
The evacuees fled after the Talibanβs swift takeover last summer after the withdrawal of U.S. troops began to end a 20-year war. President Joe Biden said it was time for American military to leave.
βWe try to stay aware of the different needs that come up in the community and connect partners and community members with resources that are available,β said Floran. βWe feel fortunate that there are partners doing this work on the ground and that we can support them in welcoming evacuees and refugees to Tucson.β
Local Tucson refugee resettlement agencies have moved 250 refugees to permanent housing and another 250 remain in hotels and in Airbnbs, said Floran. βFinding housing that can accommodate larger families, some with 12 members, is an especially high priority for our partner agencies right now,β she said.
In an earlier interview, Aaron Rippenkroeger, executive director for IRC in Arizona, said because of the numbers and pace of refugees arriving with short notice they are initially being housed in hotels, and that is happening across the nation since there is a housing shortage. He said roughly 100,000 refugees are out of Afghanistan and most are coming to the United States.
Catholic Community Services of Southern Arizona, an affiliated organization of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Tucson, was approved as a refugee resettlement organization this fiscal year, and will be resettling up to 100 Afghan refugees, said Anna Burke, associate director of CCS. Officials with Lutheran Social Services said they can accept 150 Afghan refugees and International Rescue Committee can receive 400.
Tony Penn, United Way president and chief executive officer, said he is pleased the agency can help to meet βthe emergency needs of these vulnerable families, and by uniting together, weβre encouraged that we can help to keep evacuees and refugees safe, stable and secure as they transition to life in Tucson.β
