Catholic Charities Role in the Current Efforts to Settle Afghan Refugees
Updated:
Catholic Charities Community Services has been resettling refugees from all parts of the world since 1975. With an expert, compassionate staff of 25 who speak at least 15 different languages, our team has welcomed our first refugees who are fleeing the Taliban; we expect more over the coming weeks and months.
The refugee resettlement program provides basic necessities these individuals and families need to start a new life in our country and our team members truly walk alongside them as they start fresh in our country.
Our agency also operates the only licensed program for unaccompanied refugee minor children in the area. This program provides fully licensed, certified foster homes for children from other countries who do not have any ties in the United States. They have also gone through the U.S. government screening and vetting process and been assigned to a program like ours. At this time, we anticipate receiving some unaccompanied minors from Afghanistan who will likely be in their teens. They will be placed with a family in a licensed, certified, approved foster home. While we are accepting foster applications, all parties must meet Catholic Charities' eligibility requirements and the official licensing and certification process, which is extensive. If you are interested in becoming a foster parent, please complete the online form below and a member of our team will contact you.
Refugees vs. Parolees
Of the Afghans arriving in Europe and the United States right now, some are coming through the refugee resettlement process as Special Immigrant Visa Holders (SIV). Additionally, there is also a large group of Afghanis who under emergency conditions were evacuated, who have not been able to go through the standard refugee process, and are being processed overseas, and will be paroled (admitted) into the United States for urgent humanitarian protection. Some may be assisted, through private rescue organizations, so there is much uncertainty about where and when they will land. However, the state of Arizona does anticipate receiving both approved refugees who hold Special Immigrant Visas (SIVs), as well as parolees.
What’s the difference between an SIV and a Parolee?
Those refugees holding SIVs are mainly individuals and their families who worked with the U.S. military or U.S. government in some capacity. They have been granted official refugee status and are assigned to a qualified refugee resettlement agency such as ours by the U.S. government. These individuals and their families will be qualified for federal and state benefits for housing, medical and some food assistance as well as be qualified to work in the United States. Catholic Charites walks alongside them through this process in their new home country.
However, the goal is to assist them in becoming self-sufficient and they will need to be employed to provide income toward this path. If you are a local employer interested in offering employment opportunities, please complete the online form below.
We rely heavily on local parishes, faith groups, and other community members to donate items such as furniture, household supplies and more because the amount of federal assistance to pay for housing is extremely limited, and affordable housing is very difficult to find.
Typically, all the financial assistance goes to pay for rent and there is rarely additional funding for anything else. Our community has been very generous in the past, and we are grateful for those who wish to donate now. If you wish to donate in-kind items, the link to our Amazon charity list is below. For other donations of items, please complete the online form below.
Parolee is the term the U.S. government is using to refer to those who have been evacuated by the U.S. government and are currently staying on U.S. military bases, mostly in Europe. However, they are not granted refugee status. They will go through a background check and screening process before arriving to resettlement agencies like ours and will be assisted in applying for employment authorization. They will need to find employment once they are relocated, which our agency will assist them with. There is a special, temporary program called Afghan Parolee Support (APS) through the U.S. government to provide limited, short-term financial assistance for these individuals and families.
For both refugees and parolees, our team will walk alongside them all the way from meeting them at the airport to finding housing and integrating into the community. We assist with finding employment, connecting them with the local refugee community to make them feel welcome, providing translators to help them become familiar with our culture, and help them find health services.
How can I help?
Our agency does accept volunteers, particularly those who speak Farsi, Urdu, Pashto, and Dari. However, we require ALL volunteers to go through a background and security check AND they must have a Level 1 Fingerprint Clearance Card. You can apply to express interest in becoming a volunteer using the online form below and a member of our volunteer team will get back with you.
Affordable housing is very difficult to find in the Phoenix metropolitan area. If you are a landlord who is interested in learning more about working with Catholic Charities to provide an affordable apartment, please use the online form below.
In-kind donations of household items, hygiene supplies, clothing, etc. may be needed, however, our community has already been quite generous. If you’d like to donate items, please consider using our Amazon Charity List, which is continually updated with the most necessary items. Please note that donations will go to assist ALL those in our refugee resettlement program, not just those from Afghanistan. If you would like to donate, please use the easy and secure online donation form. You can use the drop-down menu to specify that your donation goes to our refugee resettlement program. However, please consider choosing “Where needed most” to ensure that our veterans, foster children, those experiencing homelessness, and more are provided for as well.
Parishes and organizations who would like to partner with us to help refugees should contact Jaimi Weingartner, Sr. Program Manager of Parish and Community Development for Catholic Charities Refugee Resettlement Program at (602)396-0268 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
