County Supervisors set to approve $3 million for supporting Afghan refugees in Sacramento
At its next meeting on Tuesday, the Sacramento County Board of Supervisors will vote on giving $3,000,000 to ANSAR, the American Network of Services for Afghan Refugees of Sacramento Valley for wraparound services to Afghan refugees settling in the Sacramento Valley over the next year.
This sort of financial support could mean refugees fleeing the Taliban for a better life in America might be able to find it right here in Sacramento County.
Since the last U.S. forces pulled out of Afghanistan nearly one year ago, thousands of refugees have resettled in the Sacramento area. Approximately 10,000 Afghan Americans already lived here at the end of last year, with Carmichael, Rancho Cordova, North Highlands, and Natomas home to the largest Afghan refugee communities.
The influx has made the Sacramento region home to one of every nine Afghans living in the nation. Last year, Mayor Darrell Steinberg said the city expected more than 5,000 refugees to relocate to Sacramento and its surrounding communities during the course of 2022. Another 2,000 Afghan refugees live in Yolo, Sutter, Placer, and El Dorado counties.
Federal funding for refugees runs out after 90 days, which often isn’t long enough to get an entire family on its feet, advocates say.
Even if the refugees have family or friends already living in the region, it’s hard to find housing or shelter. The State Department has warned Afghans that unless they have “close relatives or friends in these areas who are able to provide financial support and housing until you find employment that covers your living expenses, it is best to allow a resettlement agency to choose a suitable location for you.”
But that may mean they wind up further away from a familial support system already in place here in Sacramento.
Local agencies such as Lao Family Community Development, the International Rescue Committee, Opening Doors, and World Relief Sacramento have been working on the issue for years. Recently, vacation rental giant Airbnb joined those efforts in August by pledging to host more than 20,000 Afghan refugees across the country.
The ANSAR Coalition, created in November 2021 by these groups and with the help of the City of Sacramento, said it will use the $3 million from the county to provide initial support services to Afghan refugees for the first 90 days after arrival, including helping these families transition out of resettlement agencies into their new homes, and will provide support to individuals or families experiencing extra needs.
Services will include, but will not be limited to, assistance with legal immigration services, assistance with applications for public and social services, supportive housing placements, English language assistance, school tutoring for youth, coordinated employment training and job placements, and mental health services.
This ongoing financial support from the Sacramento County Board of Supervisors will ensure that ANSAR is the answer it’s intended to be. The Supervisors should vote to approve this resolution.
