ReEstablish Richmond’s programs, such as its learner’s permit study course in Dari, help refugees settle into Richmond. Historically, 70% of the students in the program have been Afghan women.
When the history is written of the Afghan diaspora at the end of America’s longest war, the Richmond region will have its own story to tell.
The first group of 221 Afghan Special Immigrant Visa holders (SIVs) and their families arrived on July 30 at Dulles International Airport after a daylong flight from Kabul, Afghanistan. From there, they were bused to Fort Lee south of Richmond to complete their processing for entry into the country before being resettled. Thousands of other SIVs arrived in subsequent weeks under a program the Biden administration has called Operation Allies Refuge.
SIVs worked to support the U.S. armed forces as interpreters, drivers and in other capacities during America’s 20-year war in Afghanistan. When the U.S. withdrew troops this summer, SIVs and their families were among the first to be evacuated, as they faced deadly reprisals from the Taliban for cooperating with Americans.
The Afghan refugees join a growing community in Virginia. Since 2016, more than 8,500 Afghans have been resettled in Virginia, according to the Office of New Americans, which Gov. Ralph Northam established in 2020. Afghans represent the largest number of refugees resettled in Virginia between 2016 and 2021. The next largest group has been from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (1,194), followed by Iraq (823).
Depending on their status, Afghan refugees are eligible for different services. Kate Ayers, executive director of ReEstablish Richmond, a nonprofit that helps refugees establish roots in the community, says that in addition to the SIVs, “some of them are [U.S.] citizens, some of them are green card holders already, some of them are in the process of becoming a green card holder [enabling them to live and work in the United States].”
More than 1,200 Afghans have settled in Richmond over the past few years, Ayers says, and she believes the region is in for a doubling or tripling of previous numbers. Some of the new arrivals may have family members or friends they will live with until they can find employment and live on their own.
One of the biggest concerns is the lack of affordable housing. “Communities are not going to have capacity to resettle everybody who needs to be resettled,” Ayers says.
A volunteer delivering flowers for ReEstablish Richmond's drive-by Heela Graduation, a COVID alternative to the normal in-person graduation
A Home in Henrico
Henrico County has been a popular destination for refugees, especially Afghans, when they come to the Richmond area, resettlement agencies say.
Ty Par, Henrico’s director of social services, says that once the county receives an application for benefits from the newly arrived Afghans, they will be processed. “Our VIEW [Virginia’s Initiative for Employment and Work] program is on standby to start assisting with job readiness, interview preparation, job searches and child care,” he says. “We have translators on standby, too.”
The program also provides emergency funds for rental assistance or payment toward a utility bill, assessment screenings, mental health support, funds for education/certification programs, work-related items such as clothing or supplies needed to begin a job, and English as a Second Language classes.
The Afghan refugees have language and cultural barriers that they need help navigating. “In VIEW, for example, both parents are expected to participate in a work component outside the home, which is not traditional for the Afghan community,” says Judy Kraft, who supervises VIEW in Henrico. “Nearly five years ago, VIEW partnered with Goodwill to offer a job readiness program exclusively for our refugee population. This proved to be a success and a place for refugee women to come together. The children benefited by going to child care, learning the English language and socializing.”
To be eligible for the VIEW program, participants must be receiving Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF).
Resettlement Agencies Mobilize
Historically, the International Rescue Committee (IRC) in Richmond resettled about 140 refugees annually, according to Justin Gandy, Richmond site manager. But he says everyone is expecting many more.
Gandy spent 18 days at Fort Lee in July preparing for the arrival of the first SIVs and their families. Gandy and Harriet Kuhr, executive director of IRC for Richmond and Charlottesville, emphasized that all the SIVs will be welcome. “These are people who had to run away for their lives, because they stood up for America,” Kuhr says.
Commonwealth Catholic Charities (CCC) is also helping arriving Afghan refugees. “We want provide the hospitality these people need, to help them work through the emotional trauma that they have experienced,” says CEO Jay Brown.
CCC received 40 refugees in its Richmond office in the first three weeks after the Afghan refugees arrived at Fort Lee.
Since 2016, more than 8,500 Afghans have been resettled in Virginia, including more than 1,200 in the Richmond area.
CCC, along with partnering agencies, provided translators and organized child care for the SIV families as they completed applications that would enable them to receive services in the U.S., according to Jessica Wells, CCC’s vice president of mission advancement.
Wells says Afghan children received a cultural orientation that focused on the school environment. As they are able, the children are being enrolled in local school systems.
Having a Social Security number is a key to obtaining many of the services available to refugees.
“If families have their Social Security numbers when they arrive, they are able to access food stamps, TANF, Medicaid, Medicare — all of those safety net resources,” Wells says. “They’re also required to be connected to housing and employment, all during the first 90 days they are here.”
Non-SIV families are ineligible for such services, and Wells says CCC has “to be creative in how we meet their needs. We’re asking the community for support.”
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