Buying groceries. Making a doctor’s appointment. Catching a bus.
All of those everyday actions started out as a struggle for the 1,000 refugees who moved to Syracuse last year. Part of their solutions: The Center for New Americans.
“People often forget that we are a nation of immigrants,” said Thomas Wolfe, dean of student affairs at Syracuse University and the former president of Interfaith Works. It is the parent organization of the Center. “We at the Center believe that welcoming people in need is the right thing to do because it is such a strong part of our history as a nation,”
Officials and volunteers at the Center acknowledge that immigration and refugee policy is politically volatile. Critics, for example, want tighter restrictions on the number of immigrants and refugees allowed, as well as deportation for those illegally in the U.S. The Center works with people who enter the U.S. legally with government assistance.
Most of the refugees settling in Central New York today come from Sudan, Somalia Liberia, Burma, Cambodia, Uzbekistan, Cuba, Vietnam, Columbia, Congo, Burundi and Ethiopia. Many are fleeing genocide, war, or some other threats to their lives in their home country.
The refugees come to Syracuse, and other American cities, under the United States’ immigration laws. Every year, the State Department sets a quota on the number of refugees allowed from each country. Once refugees are approved to come to the U.S., they are assigned to a location.
In Onondaga County, refugees and immigrants are a growing population. In 2008, for example, the census.gov/” target=”_blank”>Census Bureau estimated that over 27,000 people — or 6 percent of the population — in Onondaga County were not born in the United States. Over one-third of these people are new immigrants or refugees settling in the county within the past ten years.
Once in Central New York, these refugees are often welcomed by people who work at The Center for New Americans. It is located at 503 North Prospect Avenue in Syracuse.
The Center was founded in December 2005 and serves refugees and legal immigrants. It is a non-profit agency that helps these people find housing, enroll in school, seek medical care, get a job and understand U.S. culture. The center is unique to Syracuse, but is part of a popular movement of non-profits with similar names across the U.S. It is funded through private donations and government grants.
Since the recession, the resettlement process is even harder for many refugees, said Debra Virgo, sponsor coordinator at The Center for New Americans. “It is hard for anyone to find and keep a job during these times, and even more so for refugees because they face other challenges. For example, they often don’t speak English,” she said.
During these tough times, having a support system is important for these refugees, say many people who work with them.
Jesse Rosenberg volunteered to sponsor a family through the Catholic Youth Organization last year. “By us coming to spend time with them, it shows that we as U.S. citizens care,” said Rosenberg. “Even though there are language barriers, the time we spend playing basketball with the kids or making English flashcards with the parents is important.”
Learning cultural survival skills is another important part of the resettlement process, say those who work with refugees.
“Without these programs, these people would not know how to survive in a new culture,” said volunteer Dana Smith. For example, Smith teaches one of the classes that refugees can sign up for through the center. It focuses on how to buy healthy food on a small budget.
In addition to helping the refugees, the Center also works to promote public understanding and acceptance of refugees, say center supporters. “They get the word out about how these people enrich and improve our communities,” said Diane Chappelle-Daly, an attorney who works with immigrants and the Center. She added, “Having so many diverse people here brings new food, art and culture to our communities, which is exciting and important for everyone who lives here.”
Those who have worked with refugees say it is an richly rewarding experience. Thomas Wolfe, student affairs dean at SU and former president of Interfaith Works, describes that reward this way:
“By opening the doors to our country to people who are in need, we feel good about ourselves. We have a place that is worthy of living so that is what we are trying to create for refugees at the Center for New Americans.”
(Noel Aliseo is a senior with dual majors in broadcast journalism and Spanish.)
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