news-record.com

GREENSBORO — After a service crunch left newly arrived Iraqis with dwindling resources, a community network emerged that faith leaders say is receiving broad support.

Sixteen households settled here by Lutheran Family Services are now receiving help from a partnership between the Islamic Center of the Triad, FaithAction and a Catholic missionary assigned to work in the refugee community.

Following turnover and severe funding problems within LFS, which holds a State Department contract, the three groups acted on reports that families were behind on rent and without heat at Hunters Glen Apartments off U.S. 29.

Badi Ali of the Islamic Center and the Rev. Mark Sills of FaithAction said all rent and utilities have now been paid on behalf of the Iraqis.

“This was an opportunity to get it right,” Ali said. “When the community responds like this, you can sense you are living in a generous place.”

According to the Rev. Virginia Herring of Holy Trinity Episcopal Church, News & Record readers sent about $6,000 in donations in response to the Iraqi refugee situation. Sills said the Weaver Foundation last week made a $10,000 donation for refugee emergencies.

Out of a meeting a few weeks ago at Dunkin’ Donuts between a Muslim imam and a Catholic nun grew a shared case management system for 16 households’ needs — food, clothing, furniture and job leads.

“For the short time we’ve been doing this, we’ve gotten quite a bit accomplished,” said Karen Mujali, who serves on a refugee committee at the mosque, but in this case, found herself worked closely with the nun, Sister Gretchen Reintjes, and volunteers from FaithAction. “We’ve become really close to one another and get along quite well.”

Sills said his organization had taken responsibility for four families, with Reintjes responsible for single households, and the Islamic Center taking on about a dozen families.

“The community really responded well. We had a tremendous outpouring of clothing, housewares, as well as cash,” Sills said. “Our long-term goal is to make sure they find employment and are standing on their own feet. In the meantime, we’re going to make sure they’re fed and they’re warm.”

The Iraqi emergency mirrored a scenario one year ago, when newly arrived families from the Congo faced mass evictions at Avalon Trace Apartments. In that situation, the Community Foundation of Greater Greensboro acted to stave off the evictions.

Herring said volunteers have suggested that new refugee arrivals be halted until the local economy recovers.

Gerald Chapman, a longtime immigration lawyer, agrees: “My sense is that there is kind of an overload. The theory is that they would find work within 90 days, but that theory doesn’t match the reality.”

But there is, at the same time, pressure on the State Department to continue resettlements because of refugee camps closing abroad.

“This pipeline is a lengthy pipeline. A lot of these numbers got settled on before the economy went south,” Sills observed. “They (resettlement agencies) have just been doing what historically has worked.”

Contact Lorraine Ahearn at 373-7334 or lorraine.ahearn@news-record.com