LANCASTER, Pa. — As chaos continues at the Kabul airport and thousands try to flee Afghanistan, Central Pennsylvania organizations are preparing to help resettle some of the refugees.
The U.S. will grant up to 22,000 Special Immigrant Visas (SIV) to refugees, their families and other at-risk individuals, according to Pentagon officials.
Pennsylvania is expected to accept some of these Afghan refugees for resettlement. Gov. Tom Wolf tweeted the state was coordinating with federal and local partners to facilitate resettlement resources.
The state took in 910 Afghan refugees from 2009 to 2019, according to the Department of Human Services.
Central Pennsylvania organizations are now preparing to welcome potential refugees.
Church World Service (CWS) Lancaster sent six volunteers to welcome and process Afghan refugees arriving at Fort Lee in Virginia.
CWS Lancaster is part of a long history of welcoming asylum seekers in the city, which the BBC once called “America’s refugee capital.”
“Over the years we’ve supported thousands of new neighbors as they’ve started new lives here in Lancaster,” said Rachel Helwig, development and communications coordinator with CWS Lancaster.
The organization assists new arrivals with help finding housing, getting a job and enrolling kids in school.
But the additional traumas of fleeing a dangerous situation and culture shock upon arrival lead to a new set of hurdles through the resettlement process Helwig said.
“You’re in a new environment, maybe you don’t know a lot of people. For some new neighbors, English might not be their first language, so there are some of these challenges that folks encounter,” she said.
One way to help refugees feel welcome is to find a nearby grocery store that sells foods from their country or culture, Helwig said. Another is helping them connect with a nearby faith group. She hopes to help any refugees who end up in Lancaster rebuild a sense of home.
“Home is somewhere we all love even if we have to leave it for a variety of reasons,” she said.
There are no specific plans yet on how many refugees will resettle in Lancaster or Pennsylvania.