Catholic Charities, parishes and communities welcome refugees

Since mid-September 2021, Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City has helped more than 1,800 Afghan refugees that arrived in Oklahoma. It can take many years to properly resettle a refugee into a new country and establish self-sustainability.

Some of these Afghan refugees who have arrived worked in the military as translators, journalists and other occupations that made them a target due to their allegiance to the United States government. 

Catholic Charities helps with their immediate needs such as temporary housing and providing cultural meals for the family each day. When they are greeted at the airport, usually by a volunteer of Catholic Charities, they are taken to a nearby hotel where they are temporarily housed. Catholic Charities has partnered with several local hotels to take on this task. 

“We then begin assessments which may include educational or employment history, medical needs, documentation or lack thereof. We have a job coordinator at Catholic Charities who helps determine what trade or job they could qualify for here in Oklahoma. Based on that assessment and the size of the family, we aim to find housing near their job,” said Carly Akard, director of communications for Catholic Charities. “We employ a housing navigator who has made a diligent effort to house many of the refugees in the same neighborhood to create a small community for them.”

Akard said Catholic Charities also provides cultural orientation and English as a Second Language classes to help introduce them to the culture in America. The goal for any refugee is self-sustainability. Education, social integration and job placement all play a key role in long-term success.
 
Akard  added there have been many parishes within the archdiocese that have sponsored refugee families. When refugees arrive in Oklahoma, they often arrive with a suitcase with very few items. Establishing residency includes having to completely furnish apartments and homes. Many parishes not only purchased or donated furniture but decorated and set up these homes.. This not only saved Catholic Charities money but saved time and resources to be able to work more directly with the clients.

Catholic Charites has also had other faith-based organizations pitch in. Donations of money, supplies, countless volunteer hours for transportation to appointments, airport pickups and so much more – they simply could not do this without community support.
    
The refugees, especially children, have begun to adapt to life in Oklahoma.

“The children are the quickest to adapt to our culture. They are inherently keener to learn English as their age allows them to do so. Children also are in a unique position, in that their departure from Afghanistan was not as traumatizing as their parents who fled with them. Adults left behind parents and siblings, extended family and friends and colleagues they may never see again, whereas children were kept with their immediate families,” said Akard.

“It's encouraging to see the children thrive. Many of them had not experienced an educational setting, so here we get to witness their growth and excitement in being able to learn in a safe environment.”

Catholic Charities is the only resettlement agency in the state of Oklahoma. The organization continually receives refugees from other countries. 

“The last family we received was from Vietnam. It is still unclear whether we will be asked to resettle refugees from Ukraine. United for Ukraine, a new government initiative that was announced, relies solely on sponsorships of refugees,” said Akard. “This initiative may be why we have not been asked to settle any of the 100,000 refugees that President Biden said we would accept into the United States. Should we be asked to do so, our answer will be a resounding ‘yes.’”

For more information about Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City, contact Carly Akard at cakard@ccaokc.org or (405) 523-3009.
 
Jolene Schonchin is a freelance writer for the Sooner Catholic.


Photo: Maleeha Siddique came from Afghanistan as a refugee 19 years ago and now works for Catholic Charities in the refugee resettlement department. Photo provided.