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Dear Friends,


The past year has surfaced multiple, momentous crises, but together, we have made great strides towards creating a community where everyone can flourish with dignity. Thank you for being an important part of our efforts.


With the support of generous community members like yourself, we have been able to resettle over 730 Afghan evacuees and have committed to resettling 134 more by the end of October. That's a massive leap from the 120 refugees (Afghan and other populations) we usually see in a year.

Thanks to the generous support of our community, we've been able to secure furnished housing for our refugee clients – and that’s no easy task in the Bay Area. We provide refugees with comprehensive case management to access social services, government benefits, medical and mental health services, employment support, and ESL classes; assistance with enrolling children in school; volunteer support; groceries; legal services; and advocacy to ensure our clients have access to all the services and resources they require.


As demand for our services has soared this past year, we quickly hired five additional case managers, two case aides, a new volunteer coordinator, and a housing specialist. Most of our resettlement case managers and coordinators arrived in the U.S. as refugees from Afghanistan themselves and have a deep understanding of our clients’ cultures and complicated resettlement journeys, having walked a similar path.

Our legal team has filed over 90 humanitarian parole applications for clients’ family members still stuck in Afghanistan or third countries. We’ve hired one attorney and three Dari and Pashto-speaking legal assistants, all dedicated to serving the needs of our Afghan new arrivals. Since January 2022, we have provided legal advice and representation to more than 150 Afghan families applying for permanent status in the U.S. We also launched a new Afghan Pro Bono Representation Project to recruit and train volunteer attorneys to represent some of our clients.


When our wish list went viral on social media, our community answered. During the height of the media attention, hundreds of packages arrived every day containing all the household items a family needs when rebuilding a home. Thank you to everyone who generously contributed!


We now partner with over 50 organizations in our work to support the large local Afghan community, including the Afghan Coalition, East Bay Refugee and Immigrant Forum, International Rescue Committee, and Refugee and Immigrant Transitions.

This is not a one-time crisis response. Our work is ongoing.


Afghanistan may have faded from the headlines, but Afghan families continue to arrive as they make their way from third-party countries where they found temporary refuge.


We are currently resettling three to four Afghan families every week!

These families need ongoing rental assistance, English language classes, medical services, legal aid on their path to citizenship, and all of the services described above. We still urgently need your generosity to make this happen.


A new crisis unfolds - Russia invades Ukraine.

Millions of Ukrainians have been forced from their homes. Many of them are now seeking refuge in the U.S.


So far, over 150 newly-arrived Ukrainians have connected with us to receive services. We need your help to provide legal consultations and immigration assistance. We provide welcome kits to newly-arrived Ukrainians, including hygiene items, gift cards, and other resources. We offer help with food and grocery delivery, ESL tutoring, transportation assistance, translation services, school supplies, warm blankets, and other resources to support arriving Ukrainians.


The crises are ongoing. I hope I can count on your ongoing generosity.


Will you donate to help sustain our efforts? Because this work requires multiple departments working together urgently, donations will be unrestricted and utilized across JFCS East Bay to benefit our new arrivals unless otherwise specified. Thank you for helping us meet the needs of arriving refugee families as they rebuild their lives in safety.

With deep appreciation,

Robin Mencher

CEO

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