The sign of Boone Hall at Cross Street near the Ypsilanti Water Tower on the Ypsilanti Campus of Eastern Michigan University on Tuesday, December 8, 2020. Jacob Hamilton/MLive.com
Ypsilanti, Michigan - Hundreds of Afghan refugees are looking for temporary shelter on the campus of Eastern Michigan University in Ypsilanti.
According to the Associated Press, since the Taliban took over Kabul in August, private and U.S. State Department-funded flights have been going on, and the U.S. left the county after 20 years of occupation. Officials said many of the approximately 73,000 Afghan refugees who were initially evacuated in August are still looking for a place to stay in the United States.
University officials said that together with the Jewish Family Service Center in Washtenaw County, EMU provided housing for approximately 300 Afghan refugees in the EMU apartments on campus.
Officials said that JFSWC has helped several families find long-stay hotels in Washtenaw County and assisted in organizing background checks, medical tests and COVID-19 vaccination. Last month, the organization notified EMU that it needed to find living space for these families outside these hotels, and the university "expressed its willingness to provide immediate assistance," officials said.
EMU is asking volunteers among students to assist JFSWC in preparing these apartments for use and helping Afghan families adapt to life in the United States. People can find more information about JFSWC on its website jfsannarbor.org.
Officials said these families must comply with EMU COVID-19 rules, including full vaccination, wearing masks in indoor public areas, completing daily health checks and participating in the EMU testing process. These families are also responsible for complying with all EMU housing rules and regulations.
President James Smith said that accepting these families on the EMU campus is an important manifestation of the university's values.
"For many years, our campus has been decorated with banners with a simple message:'Welcome here.' This message has never been more important than it is today," Smith said in a statement. "EMU aims to be an inclusive place. JFSWC communicates this message through its important work every day, and we are happy to list ourselves as a community partner."
Officials say that Afghan families receive allowances to assist in the relocation, including paying for housing at the same price as students. The campus apartment housing program lasts until April 2022.
Anya Abramzon, Executive Director of JFSWC, said in a statement: “Affordable housing is a huge challenge in this area.” “When we welcome more than 300 new immigrants from Afghanistan to our community, we are very grateful to EMU for helping us support this. Made its own contribution to the humanitarian crisis."
Read more from "Ann Arbor News":
EMU chooses a private company to fund a $200 million student housing renovation
EMU students won $100,000 in the Dr. Pepper Tuition Giveaway, igniting the dream of working for the Indianapolis Colts
Michigan State University employees receive a $1,500 bonus
Note to readers: If you purchase goods through one of our affiliate links, we may earn commissions.
Registering on this website or using this website means accepting our user agreement, privacy policy and cookie statement, and your California privacy rights (the user agreement was updated on January 1, 21. The privacy policy and cookie statement was in May 2021 Update on the 1st).
© 2021 Advance Local Media LLC. All rights reserved (about us). Without the prior written permission of Advance Local, the materials on this website may not be copied, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used.
Community rules apply to all content that you upload or otherwise submit to this website.