Two resettlement agencies in Kansas City, Della Lamb and Jewish Vocational Services, are working to rebuild their infrastructure, getting referral mechanisms in place and making sure they have enough material resources.
"The past four years have been a challenging time for agencies that have been connected to federal immigration policies," says Hilary Singer of JVS, who notes that the number of immigrants allowed into the United States was low.
Now an expected increase in immigration, on top of the number of refugees coming from Afghanistan, has resettlement agencies gearing back up.
The federal government provides a stipend of just over $1,000 per person. Other than that, the agencies rely heavily on community sponsorships, says Danilo Aguilar of Della Lamb.
"Groups can come and basically wrap around families or individuals and say, 'We're going to walk with you long term,'" Aguilar says.
Singer and Aguilar describe the process refugees will undergo from the time they reach the U.S., through getting resettled and in the long term.
- Hilary Singer, executive director, Jewish Vocational Services
- Danilo Aguilar, refugee services director, Della Lamb
