You didn’t hear much about it, but the Oregon Legislature convened a special session last week to address a few pressing needs across the state — illicit marijuana farms, rent assistance, drought relief, and youth education to stem street violence in Portland.
Included on that short list was $18.2 million to help Afghan refugees settling in Oregon with housing, education, legal aid, job training and other culturally responsive services. Lane County will see a healthy portion of those funds as Oregon gears up to resettle 1200 Afghan refugees.
In 2016, Catholic Community Services became Lane County’s official refugee resettlement agency, operating in partnership with the Refugee Resettlement Coalition of Lane County. Under Trump’s presidency, refugees were seldom allowed in, so the coalition pivoted to assist asylum-seekers. Now it is serving both asylum-seekers from central America and refugees arriving from Afghanistan.
RRC volunteers work directly with clients, or behind the scenes in numerous ways. Urgent needs center on housing, employment, learning English and cultural orientation. Others focus on what is necessary to make the effort sustainable: fundraising, community engagement and all the administrative details.
In between, there are continual needs: trucks for delivering home essentials, English-language tutors, drivers to medical appointments, childcare assistance, and advocates who can work closely with clients to help them to integrate into our community.
Imagine coming here without friends or funds and without understanding our languages — spoken and unspoken. Add to that the trauma they endured before and during their departure. The needs are myriad.
If Lane County earns a reputation as a welcoming place for refugees, word will get out and volunteer needs will multiply. Funding and other support tends to flow toward places that demonstrate the capacity to expand their efforts.
Plans are already underway to hire a second part-time caseworker and an employment specialist, but staffing is a trailing indicator. This effort will always rely on volunteers primarily. That’s where you come in.
New volunteers receive an overview of the work and the organizational structure, followed by specific training and support for the area where they feel they can be most useful. Those who have direct contact with clients undergo a background check, but most paperwork is kept to a minimum. Some tasks require only a few hours and can be done from home. Many hands make light work.
Current needs are listed under the Get Involved tab at www.rrclc.org but as the work expands, so do the specialized areas of expertise. The newest needs listed are for volunteers who can assist clients with cultural orientation, skill certification, employment opportunities, and individual tech support.
The more the outreach expands, the more likely they will be looking for the skills and interests you can offer. Do you have a truck, patience with toddlers, tutoring talents, marketing skills, an empty room in your house, a job opening? Your time to help has arrived. If you have none of those, your time is coming soon.
Together, let’s make Eugene and Lane County known for its welcoming spirit. During this holiday season, what could be better?
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Don Kahle (fridays@dksez.com) writes a column each Friday for The Register-Guard and archives past columns at www.dksez.com.
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