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After frustrating months of waiting on the sidelines, the Westchester Resettlement Coalition (WRC) needs assistance in helping two refugee families start their new lives in America. Both families arrived safely in Westchester, and as I write, WRC is setting up two apartments in Hastings-on-Hudson.

Family #1 - 
The K. family — father AK (31), mother BK (28), and daughter ALK (8 months) — have been living at the Ardsley Motel for the past 10 months and are relieved to finally have a quiet space for their baby, and a kitchen!! They left their home in Turkey because of their fears of living under the authoritarian rule of the President and their desire for greater freedom and a better life. They arrived in the US in July 2023, and lived for 90 days in a Brooklyn shelter before being transferred to the Ardsley motel. Their court date for asylum is set for March 2025. ALK was born Oct. 12, 2023, after the family entered the U.S. and is an American citizen.

The K’s are a lovely couple driven to launch their new lives. Their wonderful news is that AK found a full-time job at Federal Express!! So now housed and with one parent employed, they are on the road. Adem possesses a college degree in communications, and has his NYS driver license and purchased a car. He has been working as a delivery driver for Doordash and Uber Eats. Betul is a high school graduate and worked in textile sales in Turkey. Both are motivated to learn English and have been taking free language classes at a Yonkers library.

Our priorities to help this family become self-sufficient are:

• Provide tutors and other resources to help them learn English, which is key to their adjustment in the community and to job advancement.

• Explore with BK availability of childcare, and help her find a job, perhaps as a healthcare aide or in a childcare situation.

• Continue to provide help supplementing their rent over the next few months, as they take over their rent and other living expenses.

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Family #2 -
Our second family is from Costa Rica. EF, 34, the mother of the family is Nicaraguan. The three children , K (18), J (10), and J (8), are Costa Rican. We picked them up at the airport on July 18 and are now settling them into their new place. We’ve started from scratch to provide this family with basic necessities. WRC pays the rental deposit and rent for some months until the family is earning income.

Our goals for the F family:

• Help EF find a job where she can speak Spanish and help KF find an after-school job, ideally close to Hastings. They are both anxious to start work!

• Register the children in school. We are not yet sure what their level of education, but it seems that KF was in the equivalent of 11th grade in Costa Rica.

• Provide tutors for the whole family.

Spanish-speakers are needed to serve as translators with this family, especially for planning any serious conversation.

If you would like to volunteer to assist these new arrivals finding their footing in their new country, please visit the WRC website for a list of committees that you can join. (Note: Anyone seeking to work directly with WRC families is required to undergo a background check.) We are always on the look out for people with real estate and legal expertise to assist with housing placements.

Here comes the ask: At this particular time, we seek funding to help support our families through the next months. WRC is an all-volunteer organization and financial donations will help these families and help us continue our mission of “Repairing the World, One Family at a Time.”

 

Donate directly online here.