Pittsburgh Organization Helps Refugees From Afghanistan Find Comfort
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- Local organizations from Pittsburgh are jumping in to help refugees from Afghanistan already in American find comfort.
Hello Neighbor is no stranger to providing support to refugees from different countries. The organization has already helped 40 Afghan families, and officials are expecting more as evacuations continue overseas.
For now, the organization is doing what it can to prepare.
"There's going to be a lot of preparation that's not overnight to prepare for new Afghans to come in and there's a long road ahead. So we're, every day, assessing the needs of the Afghans in our community and trying to look ahead," said Sloane Davidson, the founder of Hello Neighbor.
Davidson said the first 90 days for a refugee in a new area are crucial. The organization is helping with housing and getting families settled in the area.
For the ones already here, Hello Neighbor started bringing them together so they all have somebody to lean on. Davison says it has been hard on their end seeing what the families are going through and not being able to have more of a hands-on approach.
"They dreamed one day of going back to visit or going back to live," Davidson said. "You close your eyes and all of us can picture our childhood home."
"That will be gone," Davidson added. "Those are just memories now. The streets are no longer, the mosques are no more."
Davidson said there are families that will make it to the Pittsburgh area. In fact, some were set to be here already, but their flights were canceled. So for now, any timeline is unclear.