Lincolnia church opens its doors to Afghan refugees

Rev. Sarah Scherschligt of Peace Lutheran Church officially opens a refugee resettlement center at the church.

Peace Lutheran Church is extending its welcome to Afghan refugees through the opening of a new refugee resettlement center in its building operated by the Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service (LIRS).

Many of the refugees evacuated from Afghanistan after the United States withdrew from the country this summer are settling in Northern Virginia because there already is a sizable Afghan community here.

The new center is expected to serve nearly 1,400 refugees who have settled in this region after being evacuated this summer after the U.S. withdrawal, said LIRS President and CEO Krish O’Mara Vignarajah at a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new center Dec. 16. About 700 more are expected.

Most of the 120,000 Afghani refugees who were evacuated had worked for the U.S. government or American contractors, said Lee Williams, vice president for programs at LIRS. Another 60,000 people still in Afghanistan face imminent danger.

LIRS President Krish O’Mara Vignarajah cuts the ribbon for the new refugee resettlement center.

Case managers at the center will help families and individuals adjust to life in the U.S. They help refugees with basic needs and cultural orientation, find an apartment, get a job, enroll in English language classes, get their children enrolled in school, learn the public transportation system, and access community resources.

Muzhgan Azizi, a former employee at the U.S. embassy in Kabul and currently a senior program officer at LIRS’ Afghan Placement and Assistance Program, described some of the difficulties she encountered after arriving in the U.S. on July 13.

She needed help setting up a bank account and figuring out how to pay rent online, the only method accepted by her landlord. Her son struggled to adjust at school, and her husband, a civil engineer in Afghanistan, has to work at a lower-level job until he can get the necessary certifications.

Azizi urges employers to hire Afghanis. “They are smart, hardworking, and learn fast. Help them to be independent and not be a burden on the U.S. government,” she said. Several recent refugees have been hired to staff the new center. It’s one of 51 resettlement sites operated by LIRS in 21 states.

Related story: Afghan refugees face big challenges; volunteers help them adjust to life in the U.S.

Peace Lutheran’s lead pastor, Rev. Sarah Scherschligt, said she agreed right away to devote space to LIRS. “Throughout our history, Peace was a place of refuge.”

Resettlement is only part of what LIRS does, Vignarajah said. The Afghani refugees are allowed to stay for two years, then must apply for asylum. But there is no path to citizenship. The organization is urging Congress to streamline the asylum process and help endangered Afghan residents come to the U.S.