Rachel Wassink is the Annual Giving Manager at World Relief Chicagoland. She shares with us the impact of our Good Friday Gift Donation, and who this donation will help.
What NEED IS the Good Friday Gift helping?
One of our top needs at World Relief is securing affordable housing for our refugee and immigrant neighbors. Amidst the shifting sands of the economy, the continued effects COVID has had on our communities, and the rising cost of housing, there has been a significant need for additional funding that supports the costs of transitional housing and bridges the gap as our neighbors work towards self-sufficiency to pay for their housing. This Good Friday gift will directly contribute to this need, which will allow the refugees and immigrants we are welcoming into our community to feel at home.
HOW DOES THIS HIT PEOPLE WHO HAVE RECENTLY COME TO THE U.S.?
Many refugee and immigrants arrive with very little saved financially because of the right to work being taken from them in their refugee camp. When they arrive in the US, they partner with World Relief to begin working and committing to a budget that is sustainable for them. This empowers them to earn, save, and support their family. A crucial piece in this empowerment is the assistance World Relief is able to provide for the first three months of their arrival as they adjust to a very new culture and prepare to begin work. Additionally, there are many Ukrainians coming right now in need of permanent housing who do not have access to federal grant funding that supports housing.
HOW will the money be used?
The money will be used in Chicagoland to pay for two primary areas:
1. Transitional housing expenses such as hotels and temporary rental homes.
2. The gap cost of permanent housing for refugees and immigrants as they begin working and saving to pay for their own housing costs.What DOES STABLE HOUSING DO FOR NEWER ARRIVALS?
When refugees and immigrants have the stability of a home, this leads to significantly greater flourishing. They are able to have a gathering place to feel safe and secure. They are able to adjust to new styles of living, cooking, and learning. When children have a home to come to, they are more likely to grow in school. When adults are able to afford a living space, they feel the dignity and empowerment of caring for their family. Home matters more than we often realize, and for refugees and immigrants, their sense of home has been incredibly uprooted and lost for a long period. A welcoming home here in the United States reminds them that they are wanted and welcomed here.