Minnesota’s embrace of Afghan refugees has turned into a crisis
Gul Rahim fled Afghanistan last August, waited five months at a U.S. military base and eventually found a home in St. Paul for his family of 13.
Six months after arriving in Minnesota, he’s facing eviction.
“We fought for America for 20 years in Afghanistan,” said Rahim, who served with the Afghan National Security Forces, the military under the country’s former government. “I lost my home, my life and all my hopes and aspirations. Then, I came here. The U.S. government should not leave me alone.”
Rahim, 36, recently spoke to Sahan Journal through a translator at his family’s two-story, seven-bedroom house. His oldest child is 17 years old and his youngest is 14 months old. He has a baby on the way.
The federal government pre-paid Rahim’s rent for the first six months under typical resettlement protocol for Afghans who fled the Taliban takeover of their country in early 2021. But by August, he’ll have to show proof of income and take over the payments.
Rahim hasn’t found work because he doesn’t speak English and doesn’t know how to find or apply for a job in the United States. On top of that, three of his children and his wife are sick.
The state of Minnesota has welcomed more than 1,200 Afghans since last August. But that feeling of welcome has turned into stress and frustration for some refugees and the people advocating for them. Nearly 600 Afghan families face what advocates call a housing crisis in the Twin Cities exacerbated by rising rent rates.
Afghan refugees are on their own to find a job and pay rent after their first six months in the country, according to the state’s resettlement plan.
“We predicted this housing crisis was going to come at the end of six months,” said Amina Baha, the operations director of the Afghan Cultural Society of Minnesota. “These folks don’t have jobs. Most of them don’t know how to take the bus. They’re facing so many issues.”
The Afghan Cultural Society is working with at least five households who have no means to pay their rental leases, which are up for renewal in June and July. Requests for help are quickly piling up.
The society began as a community organization for new Afghans in Minnesota, but quickly assumed a role advocating for Afghans who struggle to find work, utilize public transportation, pay rent and navigate the school system. The group has voiced their concerns to state officials in weekly virtual meetings; housing has been a topic of discussion in nearly every meeting since September. The group is currently working on at least 50 cases covering a range of needs and expect 20 more cases in the next week.
Baha works with landlords to accommodate Afghan tenants. While some landlords have agreed to extend leases with prepayment of rent to give refugees time to find jobs, Baha said this is not sustainable.
“The purpose of the resettlement agencies was to get these people housed, find them a job, or connect them with a job counselor or network to get them on their feet by 90 days,” Baha said. “That did not happen.”
After the Taliban re-took Afghanistan on August 15 of last year, 124,000 people evacuated the region in one of the largest emergency airlifts in history. Some 75,000 evacuees were sent to eight military bases across the United States. Many of them had worked for the U.S. military, the former Afghan government or human rights organizations as translators, interpreters and other workers.
Minnesota initially pledged to resettle 65 Afghans, but the need exploded over the last 10 months, and many more started a new life in the state.
Nearly all of the refugees moving to Minnesota first lived in a hotel designated as transitional housing. From there, five resettlement agencies tasked with making sure refugees met their most immediate needs within 90 days found housing for each family and individual. The state partnered with the agencies and community organizations like the Afghan Cultural Society to connect refugees to appropriate resources.
Families and individuals affected
Rahim sat on a small couch recently and, over tea, shared his family’s struggles as his children played on a twin-size mattress on the living room floor. The family lives in a modest house on a quiet street in a suburb east of St. Paul.Rahim’s family had received a notice from their landlord the previous day ordering them to vacate the premises by 6 p.m. on August 3. His daughter handed the letter over as a visibly frustrated Rahim spoke in his native language, Pashto, and explained their situation. The letter said he elected not to renew his lease. Rahim said through a translator that he had no other option since he doesn’t have proof of income. His wife, Najiba, is also unemployed.
Rahim’s oldest son, Nik Mohammad, attends public school with three of his brothers and four of his sisters. His three other siblings are too young for school. Nik said through a translator that he’s worried about his family and feels helpless.
“I wish I could work here,” said Nik, 17. “My sisters and I will work hard in the future to pay the rent.”
Rahim said that even if he and Nik both found jobs, it would likely be insufficient to pay their monthly rent of $2,700.
“I don’t have money to pay the rent. My children will be on the street. I don’t know what to do and where to go,” said Rahim. “I can’t live under a tent — what can I do?”
Large families like Rahim’s aren’t the only ones facing eviction. Mohammad Ismail Himmat, 24, lives by himself in a one-bedroom apartment in Minneapolis. His lease ends at the end of July. Himmat’s landlord asked if wanted to renew his lease, but Himmat declined since he doesn’t have money to pay the monthly $1,100 rent. Himmat is unemployed and also struggles to find work.
“I don’t know what to do,” Himmat said through a translator. “I’m looking for friends to share a house or to help find a job so I can pay the rent.”
Himmat arrived in Minnesota in February. He had worked as a mechanic repairing generators at U.S. military camps in Afghanistan. He searched for work the last two months, but can’t read or speak English. Himmat said he has not been connected with any job agencies.
“I will do any job,” Himmat said. “I have to find a job, otherwise I will be kicked out.”
Minnesota’s embrace of Afghan refugees has turned into a crisis
Many Afghan refugees say they can’t pay their rent because they face language barriers and can’t find jobs. The federal government pays for their first six months’ rent. After that, refugees pay rent on their own. Several local organizations are scrambling to keep refugees off the streets.www.mprnews.org
Source:https://www.mprnews.org/story/2022/...e-of-afghan-refugees-has-turned-into-a-crisis
