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Lansing to welcome several hundred Afghan refugees

Outside headquarters to St. Vincent Catholic Charities. The photograph shows  brick building with two glass doors and a United States flag hangs from a left pillar of the doorway.
St. Vincent Catholic Charities
St. Vincent Catholic Charities

St. Vincent Catholic Charities is helping to resettle Afghan refugees coming to mid-Michigan.

Nearly 50,000 Afghan refugees have been placed in military bases across the United States since leaving Afghanistan following the Taliban takeover in August, according to U.S. officials.

Judi Harris, the director of refugee services at St. Vincent, said the organization will help resettle about 300 refugees in the area.

“We might end up taking more in the future. But right now we want to make sure that we're able to provide, you know, a good place for all 300 we’ve already accepted.”

Harris said the organization is still trying to figure out stable housing for those arriving.

“So if anybody has any rental properties, and you know, maybe they have some vacancies, if they can reach out to us, we could really use that right now because we do have so many people coming in right away," she added.

The organization is working with volunteers to assist those arriving in adjusting to their new homes in the U.S.

As WKAR's Bilingual Latinx Stories Reporter, Michelle reports in both English and Spanish on stories affecting Michigan's Latinx community.
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