SPOKANE, Wash. — Spokane's community organizations are preparing for hundreds of refugees coming to the city from Afghanistan.
The United States completed its withdrawal from Afghanistan late Monday, ending America’s longest war and closing a chapter in military history. The final exit cost the lives of more than 180 Afghans and 13 U.S. service members, some barely older than the war.
In a Facebook update on Friday, World Relief Spokane Executive Director Mark Finney gave an update on how the nonprofit is preparing the community network for the influx of Afghan refugees in the coming weeks. They are anticipating at least 200 refugees to arrive in Spokane.
Finney said he was deployed to Fort Lee in Virginia and Fort Bliss in Texas to help with the large number of people that have been evacuated from the collapsing country as the U.S. finished its mission in Afghanistan this week.
While refugees arrived at military bases across the county are preparing to be relocated, World Relief has been working with local Afghan families to find out if their loved ones were among those able to flee the country. They have been coordinating with local Afghan leaders and Eastern Washington Congresswoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers for the ongoing and developing situation, Finney said.
"We've been working very hard to stand with our Afghan friends and neighbors here in Spokane," Finney said.
One of the biggest concerns for the group is finding housing for the number of people entering the community. However, they say that there has been an outpouring of prayers and financial support for those preparing to relocated to Spokane.
Another Spokane-based group making preparations for incoming refugees is Refugee Connection Spokane. The group is gearing up to incorporate the arrivals into their Elder Program and their Refugee Kids Connect program. These programs are aimed to help people adjust to life in Spokane as easily as possible.
The refugees will have to deal with a variety of challenges having to completely restart their lives in a foreign country. Refugee Connection will offer help getting access to services and resources, interpreting as needed, familiarizing refugees with different aspects of the Spokane community, offering ESL and civics classes, and doing regular check-ins with them.