AfghanistanCommunity ServiceHumanitarian AidRefugees
We received an update on the arrivals of Afghan refugees in Washington State from the office of Sarah Peterson, head of the Office of Refugee & Immigrant Assistance at the Department of Social and Health Services. There are good resource links within this message from them and a video about Washington State’s efforts in assisting the incoming refugees.
We are helping to collect supplies for them and a partial list is on Amazon at https://a.co/hkDPCA3, and we also need new socks for all ages, hygiene supplies, coloring books and crayons, and puzzles for children. Items can be sent to our office at 3806 Whitman Ave. N, Seattle, WA 98103.
We are also in need of funds to help with rent and utility bills for those struggling to meet expenses.
Afghan Arrivals – Since the end of September, Washington has welcomed more than 2,500 Afghan refugees through Operation Allies Welcome, which includes over 130 people through the Washington State Afghan Placement and Assistance initiative. More than 75% of recent arrivals have resettled in King, Snohomish and Pierce counties. Approximately 13% resettled in Spokane, 5% in Clark County, 3% in Benton-Franklin and less than 1% in Whatcom County. Washington is also home to multiple Sponsor Circle groups that together will welcome over 70 people. Sponsor Circles is a community-led, private sponsorship model for welcoming Afghan newcomers to local communities.
Afghan Backgrounder: CORE, the Cultural Orientation Resource Exchange, and IRC recently developed a backgrounder on Afghanistan. This document covers the historical, political and cultural information to support a general understanding of the Afghans arriving in the United States. CORE’s website offers additional information and resources: https://coresourceexchange.org/working-with-afghans/
Washington to Washington: Afghan Resettlement: TVW did an episode on welcoming Afghans to Washington State. It features the great work that is happening across the state and includes interviews with impacted families.
King County Metro Subsidized Annual Pass – The referral handouts give a brief overview of the subsidized annual pass, as well as information on how to enroll. Once customers are enrolled into the subsidized annual pass, they’re provided with the How-To Guide that lets them know how to use their subsidized annual pass. kingcounty.gov/subsidizedannualpass.