A request for leads to help a new refugee family arriving on Tuesday
Jean Arnott
Dear Friends – this time to those in particular who are familiar with Temecula or areas nearby. This request also applies to anywhere in the Inland Empire or Orange County.
As everyone knows, housing is hard to come by right now – especially rentals. This has really affected the ability to find housing for our incoming refugee families. Fortunately, there are individual owners and an occasional apartment complex that are willing to rent to these folks even though they have no rental history, no references, no credit, and no job yet in the U.S.
Resettlement agencies can provide letters that assure a potential landlord that the refugee is legal to work, has a green card, is receiving assistance as a welcomed refugee, and – in most of the cases we work with – have come with a Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) for having worked with the U.S. military and are here in fulfillment of our promise to bring them here to prevent the Taliban and ISIS from targeting them for helping U.S. forces. These letters used to mean a lot and they don’t so much anymore. Management companies are mostly requiring that all the boxes get checked off as far as qualifying and some are not even accepting co-signers to make up the difference.
We know there are exceptions to the rule and that’s where you all come in! Can you help us find the exceptions? The landlords that will take a chance on a new refugee family? The fact is that these families have a track record for paying their rent despite where they start from. A caseworker from International Rescue Committee confirmed that to me just last week. This has also been my experience.
Here is the immediate need –
A family with four young children are arriving next Tuesday (July 13th). Dad is SIV having worked with U.S. troops. Dad’s comrade and friend lives in Temecula, so living nearby is desirable. We are looking for any information that may lead to a safe place for this family to live. Dad will be starting work as soon as possible after he arrives. He speaks very good English and is ready to go! The family will have benefits to help for a time as well as some assistance from a resettlement agency. We will be furnishing their apartment in its entirety which will allow them to use all of their cash money to pay for rent rather than pay for beds, etc. etc. (That is directly because of your support 😊.)
Please consider who you might know who may be in a position to make a difference for this family – or any family down the line who may wish to settle in any of our surrounding communities. Our opportunities to assist new SIV families will be multiplying greatly by mid to late fall and we are trying to get ready.
Thank you! You always come through! Please respond to this email or call or text me, directly 909.648.3436.
Jean