Samaritas ready to care of young migrants as Title 42 ends
(CBS DETROIT) – With Title 42 ending, communities around the country prepare for a wave of migrants from the southern border. Locally, social service groups are standing by for the influx.
It's an all-hand-on-deck situation at Samaritas, one of the agencies ready to help some of the youngest migrants who arrive in southeast Michigan.
"This is not a one-and-done. This is going to be a long journey of welcoming kids," said Kelli Dobner, chief advancement and strategy officer for Samaritas.
Samaritas is ensuring they're adequately staffed to deliver intensive care to children from the southern border.
"They are in our care 24 hours at a time until they are their sponsor or their family member is found. And then, our staff accompanies them to that new home with that family member or sponsor. Now, that's when a family member is found for these youth; when they are not, the youth will stay in our care," Dobner said.
A child usually stays with the group for 30 to 45 days.
"We're making sure that their basic needs are taken care of. We're providing medical care therapies, connecting them with education," Dobner said.
Previous crises, like the war in Ukraine and the fall of Afghanistan's capital, have prepared the group to deal with an influx of refugees and migrants.
"If you can imagine the trauma of leaving your family, leaving your home, leaving the world that you've only known because of war, because of persecution and oppression, and everything in between, just unimaginable trauma that these kids are going through, not only in their lives, their hometowns, or where they're coming from, but the journey to get here," Dobner said.
Samaritas doesn't know how many kids to expect since the number can change based on the need. But from prior experience, they anticipate caring for a couple of dozen children.
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