Nonprofit in Western Washington needs help serving high volume of new arrival refugees

Nonprofit needs help serving new refugees

Refugees continue to stream into Western Washington by the hundreds, with local charities and nonprofits barely keeping pace.

KENT, Wash. - Refugees by the hundreds continue to stream into Western Washington, with some local charities and support groups barely keeping pace.

Now, King County residents are being called upon to share what they can before the strain becomes a crisis.

When refugees first arrive to the region, World Relief Western Washington (WRWW) is there providing services helping their transition to life in the United States. Executive director Medard Ngueita said with so many people coming in lately, the demand for their services has never been higher.

"When it comes to refugee resettlement, we don’t control the influx of people. It depends on the work that is being done overseas and how fast they get through the vetting process and how fast they can schedule them to travel," said Ngueita.

Since Jan. 2023, WRWW has served 1,257 refugees of all ages and backgrounds.

"They are people who have been vetted, have all of their documentation, their paperwork. And we know who is coming, when are they coming, what is their medical history, what is the family dynamics before they arrive," explained Ngueita. "Once they get off the airplane, they are ready for employment, they are ready for everything, and they are legal and eligible for all the services in the United States."

WRWW has three offices located in King, Thurston, and Whatcom counties. Ngueita said out of the three offices, King County is suddenly seeing a rapid increase in new arrivals, serving 144 refugees in the past two weeks alone.

"That number continues to grow," said Ngueita. "It has put some strain on our staff and on the community, but we are humbled by the opportunity to resettle that many people. But it definitely is a lot of people coming."

Out of all the people WRWW is serving, Ngueita said some are leaving the ongoing conflicts in Ukraine, while the majority of the refugees in this latest influx are escaping the Taliban in Afghanistan.

"When you leave your home country and you’ve been forced out, you’ve been uprooted from where you know as your home, you leave behind everything including your friends and other family members. And so, as they rebuild that sense of life, community members come alongside them and be friends with them," said Nqueita.

Now, WRWW is turning to the community to help them serve the region’s new neighbors. While caseworkers are connecting them to resources like temporary housing, jobs, and English classes, Ngueita is asking the public to help them secure donations.

"We set up apartment for people who are coming. So, we need beds, we need couches, household items, kitchen items, cleaning supplies," said the executive director. "We’re asking to support us through picking up our families from the airport and helping with an immediate meal that people can eat within that first night that they land when they get off the airplane, people to provide extra host homes for us. Connections with permanent housing has been a thing as well."

WRWW has more information on its website for anyone interested in donating, volunteering, and supporting their services to refugees.

Washington is one of 46 states with resettlement agencies, according to the Department of State.

On its website explaining the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program, the Department of State explained, "The sponsoring resettlement agency is responsible for placing refugees with one of its local affiliates and for providing initial 30 to 90 day services after arrival. The Department of State’s standard cooperative agreement with each of the resettlement agencies specifies the services the agency must provide. The Department of State provides a one-time payment of $2,425 per individual refugee to the local resettlement affiliates, of which $1,325 is available for agencies to use to fund the critical direct assistance needs of refugees, such as rent, food, clothing, and furnishings."

The call for help is personal and runs deep for Ngueita. Political asylum from Central Africa brought him to WRWW in 2006.

"I was one of the clients who received services through this very organization. This is where I learned my English. This is where I was taken to my very first interview when I landed in the United States and what an opportunity for me to be a part of that bigger work that is bigger than myself to contribute into welcoming others like myself for coming into the community," said Ngueita.

Now leading the nonprofit as the executive director, Ngueita said support can help refugees like him start their new lives.

"We are so fortunate in western Washington and so privileged to have a community that stands up for their new neighbors, who stands up for immigrants and refugees in the community," said Ngueita. "This is the opportunity that we have to show to the rest of the world that despite evil going on in our world, despite the greed of power that uprooted people and forced them to leave their home countries, we here can show them the opposite of it. That we stand together as community to welcome others in our community."