'We are really their safe haven.' Stark sponsors needed to help refugees

CANTON – An interfaith gathering of people from the Jewish, Christian and Muslim communities are working together to learn how they can help refugees who are fleeing violence and war.

Lee Columber II, a Canton native and community relations manager for the Cleveland office of US Together, recently met with them at Temple Israel to share how people in Stark County can help those who are restarting their lives in Northeast Ohio.

The goal is to form local support teams to assist the nonprofit agency.

More: US Together refugee assistance effort gets help from local Jewish, Mennonite communities

Columber said the Cleveland office of US Together is poised to welcome more newcomers, primarily from Afghanistan and Ukraine, but also from the Republic of Congo, Syria, El Salvador, Iraq and Egypt.

Though the U.S. has averaged accepting about 90,000 refugees a year, that number was severely reduced by the previous administration, to less than 15,000. The current administration has raised the number to 225,000.

The region for refugee resettlement also has been expanded 100 miles from Cleveland, which includes Canton, he said.

US Together, which receives some government funding, has three offices in the state, which operate under the auspices of HIAS, the Hebrew Immigration Aid Society, the oldest refugee settlement agency in the nation, and one of nine authorized by the federal government to process refugees.

"We were founded back in 2003 by two women from the former Soviet Union who fled over religious persecution," Columber said. "They saw the growing need to help refugees and immigrants here in Ohio, and started helping out people who fled Eastern Europe and much of the former Soviet Union countries."

More: 'I needed to help.' Jackson Township man visits Poland to help fleeing Ukrainian refugees

Temple Israel spearheading effort to help refugees

Rita Schaner, a member of Temple Israel, has been spearheading efforts to get people involved since November. Schaner led a small group of volunteers who have collected hundreds items from furniture to clothing, which is transported to Cleveland.

"The focus of this is what we think we might actually want to do," she said. "I think it's a wonderful bridge. It was a really exciting beginning. We were able to build trust with (US Together). Now, we can take it to the next level."

Columber said those wishing to help must be willing to make a serious commitment to help refugees reach self-sufficiency.

"We really want people that are going to be passionate, and really buying into this program because it is someone's life that we're dealing with," he said. "When they come to the United States, they are supposed to move directly into their home. So if we don't have the keys beforehand, it's really hard to do that."

Columber said the agency is seeking groups to provide sponsorships, adding that helping refugee resettle requires a team approach and creating "sponsor circles" to underwrite three to six months' worth of expenses, including rent, food, clothing, health care, transportation, financial literacy and employment training, if necessary.

How you can help refugees

"We are at a critical point right now with the Afghan and Ukraine crises," he said. "It is concerned citizens that can come together to form a support system for these Afghan refugees who are coming in and trying to find a new home, very rapidly."

Columber said refugees are more likely to succeed when they have support from a co-sponsorship group.

Typically, the resettlement process is one to three years.

"So, what's that mean?" he asked. "It means finding a home for them, finding essential household items, finding them a school nearby so that the kids can enroll, having accessible transportation and taking them to health screenings. There's a lot of different things that it takes to be a functioning person."

Columber said refugees, including a sizable population of Congolese, are finding their niche in Cleveland.

"We're building these little communities from all the refugees coming," he said, adding Parma and Lviv, Ukraine, are sister cities. "So we have connections to these international communities already and that's why they're coming over here. We have a lot of those communities in Akron and Canton, as well. That's why we want to create these co-sponsorship groups so that you can continue building these groups in your communities."

Columber said there are many options for those wishing to help.

"So, your group could either work for a full co-sponsorship with the Raise Ukraine program, or you could work with us in helping one of the clients who is already in our pipeline who's supposed to come in August or September," Columber said.

Another way to help, he said, is fostering an emotional support system for newcomers, through outings, dinners and other activities.

Temple Israel Rabbi David Komerofsky said helping vulnerable people is a moral imperative.

"The Torah commands us at least 36 times to 'welcome the stranger,'" he sad. "HIAS helped my own family get to the United States. There's so much pain and difficulty in the world, it can be overwhelming. Anytime you have the opportunity to, we're commanded to do it."

Komerofsky said he is heartened by the local response.

"It's an excellent start," he said. "It's a common cause that can enrich our lives."

Mohammed Ragheb, who attends a local mosque, said the outreach has his support.

"It's a great cause," he said. "It doesn't matter who you are. It's great to be a part of it."

Karyn Talbot-Russ said the project is a way to learn about different cultures, and to build relationships with people one ordinarily wouldn't meet.

'Where people are in need, we have an obligation to help them.'

Columber said there are different levels of sponsorship — from forming a team to raise funds and underwriting the complete support of a refugee to donating to the Cleveland office in support of a family.

"I believe our congregation has the heart for this ministry," said the Rev. Mark Williams, senior pastor at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church. "Where people are in need, we have an obligation to help them."

Williams was accompanied by members Joanne K. Murray and Linda Allende, who noted that Holy Trinity already assists a Lebanese immigrant family.

The Rev. Michael Wallace, associate pastor of Christ Presbyterian Church, said many, if not most, Americans are descendants of immigrants who suffered hardships. Assisting refugees, he said, would be a way of honoring them.

"We have to help wherever we can," he said.

Komerofsky said a Canton group might inspire people in smaller communities to get involved.

"It really does take village," Columber said. "That means a community coming together to make sure that someone in the community can thrive. There's a lot of ways that co-sponsorship groups can alleviate some of those services, and allow us to have more capacity to help clients."

Columber said that unlike immigrants who leave their countries willingly, most refugees never return because it's simply too dangerous. The exceptions are Ukrainians and Afghans, who have been classified as "humanitarian parolees" with the expectation that they can return in two years — but Columber said that's unlikely.

"A refugee is not expecting to go back to their home country," he said. "I mean, if you're from Mairupol, what are you going back home to? So we should anticipate that this will be home for as long as they want it to.

"We are really are their safe haven. We really want them to feel like this is home."

To learn more about US Together, visit https://www.ustogether.us/cleveland-office or contact Columber at 216-456-9630, or Schaner at 330-327-3890.

Reach Charita at 330-580-8313 or charita.goshay@cantonrep.com

On Twitter: @cgoshayREP

This article originally appeared on The Repository: US Together helps refugees resettle in Northeast Ohio