From Jewish Family Services of Delaware (JFS) Vlad C., Community Relations Manager and Jenevive N. Director, Refugee Integration Support Effort (RISE) discussed their work with refugee families resettling in the Delaware Valley.
They described how they work with government immigration offices and discussed the backlog of requests and the difficulties in getting documentation completed, with many families and individuals waiting in relocation camps. We discussed the numbers of refugees allowed , stretched by an influx from Ukraine, as well as Afghanistan. They spoke of offering culturally sensitive support in housing, life skills, language and education opportunities. We spoke of helping families and individuals acclimate to the American culture, from shopping and entertainment, to holiday and community celebrations, with volunteers and businesses helping them interact with us, in particular of finding them employment opportunities stressing that families want to be independent and contributing members of the community as soon as possible.