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BY PRISCILLA GREEAR
Staff Writer
ATLANTA--At least 30 Kosovo refugee families will arrive by June 1 in
Atlanta under Catholic auspices, and the Multicultural Services Program of
Catholic Social Services seeks parishes, families and individuals to sponsor or
support them as they resettle in north Georgia.
Parish representatives and individuals interested in sponsoring or
supporting Kosovo refugees are asked to register for an informational meeting
to be held Monday, May 24 at 6 p.m. at the Catholic Center, 680 West Peachtree
Street, NW, Atlanta. Multicultural Services is planning the outreach through
its ongoing Parish Refugee Support Project.
A resettlement agency with about 15 caseworkers, Multicultural Services,
through the U.S. Catholic Conference, resettles an average of 700 refugees
yearly who are escaping religious, political and other forms of persecution.
With the increasing number of Albanians fleeing Kosovo and flooding neighboring
countries, the United States has allotted 20,000 spaces in its refugee program
for their resettlement in America, with priority given to family reunification
and vulnerable cases. The USCC reports they will resettle a third of the Kosovo
refugees coming to America, and Multicultural Services in Atlanta may receive
more families later.
Parish sponsorship of a family is an ideal arrangement, according to CSS
staff.
“If a church helps one family, the amount of time and the success of
their resettlement would be so much better and the time it would take for the
people to be comfortable and settled in (would decrease),” said Amy
Antoniades, volunteer coordinator. “I think it’s a wonderful way to
bring a church together as well as help a family.”
Antoniades said the Kosovars, many of whom have no family here, now want to
return to their homeland but that they may change their minds. Multicultural
Services is resettling them as if they are staying.
“The goal is self-sufficiency whether the refugees are going to stay or
go back to Kosovo,” she said. “It gives them a sense of
self-worth.”
Sponsors are required to assist with securing or providing housing,
employment, transportation and education for children and addressing medical
concerns. Antoniades said that parishes are ideal sponsors because various
parish groups can offer support in different areas to meet the requirements.
People often plan to sponsor only thinking of housing a refugee family, but
they must consider how they will address all specified areas, she pointed out.
All sponsors, whether parishes or families, must sponsor refugee families
for a minimum of two months and are encouraged to develop ongoing, supportive
relationships. Multicultural Services has already received a number of calls
from interested individuals and parishes. Antoniades said she would encourage
parishioners to talk with the pastor and other individuals about uniting for
parish sponsorship. Currently Immaculate Heart of Mary Church in Atlanta is a
sponsor.
Sponsors will receive ongoing support and guidance from the resettlement
agency through an orientation program and the refugee mental health project.
The resettlement agency will assist sponsors with obtaining Social Security
cards, with paperwork and in other areas. Parishes outside metropolitan Atlanta
must work more independently.
“Our agency doesn’t just kind of drop a family on a church. We are
there to do training, to answer questions, to make sure that all the aspects of
a successful resettlement are addressed,” Antoniades said.
In addition, individuals, parishes and groups not sponsoring refugees can
still assist the Kosovars by teaching English, planning outings and in other
ways. They may assemble welcome packets with new toiletry, bedroom or bathroom
items, donate money or furniture, or donate clothes to St. Vincent de Paul
Society thrift stores where refugees shop. The agency also needs volunteers who
speak Albanian.
While being mindful of the situations they escaped, Antoniades said sponsors
and others can offer refugees personal attention, loving support, inclusion in
their parishes and larger communities and friendship which they need but which
the agency cannot provide while trying to serve all incoming refugees. Refugees
typically experience depression, sleep disorders and post traumatic stress
disorder. Antoniades believes the Kosovars may experience additional trauma
from things such as not knowing where family members are because the conflict
in the Balkans continues.
“They had a normal life. They got up in the morning and went to work
and now that’s all gone,” she said. “They need what we would
need if we were torn from our country and put in a different country
alone.”
To register for the informational session, to sponsor a family or to
volunteer, call Antoniades at (404) 885-7239 or caseworker Bob Kamack at (404)
885-7243. Kamack should also be contacted regarding furniture donations. Checks
payable to Multicultural Services Program of CSS may be sent to Multicultural
Services, 680 West Peachtree St., NW, Atlanta, 30308-1984.
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