(CNN) Shila rushes into the living room when she hears her nephew screaming.
He just stepped on a paper clip protruding from the damp floor of their Maryland apartment, and his bleeding finger.
“The floor is very dangerous,” Shila tells CNN as she tries to comfort the 2-year-old and get him to put a band-aid on the wound.
The carpet was ripped off after the flooding this week, exposing staples and nails on the floor.
This is not what the 23-year-old expected a year ago when she fled Kabul.
Shila, who asked to be identified by name only and not to show her face to protect her family, is one of more than 75,000 Afghans brought to the United States last year as part of Operation Allies Welcome.
He worked as a sergeant for a US-trained special forces wing of the Afghan Air Force and says he received a text message warning from his unit commander after the Taliban seized power: “Hide somewhere. or leave the country. “
It’s been a year of uncertainty, she says, and only three months since a resettlement agency placed her in this one-bedroom apartment with her sister and nephew. It has already been flooded twice under heavy rain. The apartment complex’s management removed the carpet and promised to replace it once the floor was dry, Shila says. Many of the few things they had acquired since arriving in the United States had been damaged or destroyed.
And this is just one of the many problems facing her.
In the chaos of the US withdrawal from Afghanistan, the evacuation flights that brought people to safety in what administration officials described as “the largest airlift in history” have been a ray of hope for many. . Among those on board were translators, Afghan veterans, aid workers, journalists, women’s rights activists, and others who were allied with US military efforts in Afghanistan.
“Once selected and authorized, we will welcome these Afghans, who have helped us in the war effort for the past 20 years, to their new home in the United States of America,” President Biden said in a speech at the White House. August 2021. “Because that’s what we are. That’s what America is.”
But a year later, supporters say some Afghans who have been brought to the United States are still struggling to find their position.
Housing is a major area of concern as rents in the United States have skyrocketed and a growing number of Afghans cannot find affordable places to live or, like Shila, find themselves living in conditions. of deterioration.
Joseph Azam, who chairs the Afghan-American Foundation’s board of trustees, calls it a crisis.
“People were brought here with the knowledge that they could have a home here and live a life … and it didn’t happen. Instead, they were added to this behemoth of trying to get affordable housing in the United States, which it’s a big deal, “he says. “Really, they were set up to fail.”
The State Department says teams have been working around the clock to help Afghan evacuees
Zuhal Bahaduri led outreach efforts to help Afghans arriving in Northern California. And she says that the words of an Afghan translator remain with her.
She met him at an extended-stay hotel in California, where he had been living in limbo for months, awaiting permanent accommodation. On the same subject : Asia-Pacific Proliferation Security Initiative Exercise Rotation Joint Statement – United States Department of State. Bahaduri says the translator told her he had worked with the US military and that he now felt the US government was not doing enough to support him.
“He took me aside and said, ‘I have never felt so disrespectful in my life,'” says Bahaduri. “He felt like he had lost his dignity.”
Community groups like yours, the 5ive Pillars Organization, have stepped in to try to help refugee resettlement agencies find affordable housing for Afghan families and connect them with job opportunities. However, “many of them are being placed in homes they cannot afford,” he says, “and when that happens, their struggles continue.”
Asked for a response to housing problems from supporters, the State Department says dedicated teams have been working around the clock to help Afghan displaced people start a new life in the United States. Whenever possible, Afghans have been resettled to areas that have “reasonable and available housing,” the department says. And they may be eligible for emergency housing assistance and other benefits.
In some parts of the country with a high cost of living, such as Sacramento, officials placed there only Afghans who were joining close relatives “due to the extreme lack of available and affordable housing,” the department says. “Some Afghans may choose to move to areas like this on their own, but they are largely discouraged from doing so given the severity of the housing crisis.”
“The resettlement of more than tens of thousands of Afghan newcomers in less than five months would not have really been possible without the dedication, tenacity and sheer willpower of the staff of the local resettlement agency and other partners, as well as phenomenal support from local communities – be it as volunteers, sponsor groups, employers or simply welcoming new Afghan neighbors into their daily lives, “the department says.
While the availability of affordable housing remains a concern, a recent government survey of resettlement agencies found 97% of Afghans served by respondents are now in permanent housing, “a truly remarkable achievement,” says a spokesperson. of the Department of State. And the spokesman says that most of the Afghans who can work have also found work.
But some community organizations that have helped Afghans adjust to life in the United States say this is only part of the picture. They argue that the government can – and should – do more to help.
“I have many sleepless nights,” said Yaqub Zargarpur, who chairs the board of the Muslim Association of Virginia and the Dar Alnoor mosque.
The mosque has helped a growing number of Afghans who ask for assistance in paying their rent, he says, but available funds are limited.
“In another 3-4 months, many people will be evicted … The crisis is real. These people will be left homeless,” says Zargarpur.
She struggles to care for her mother, who has severe asthma
It’s a fear that haunts 25-year-old Sodaba, who lives in a one-bedroom apartment with her mother in Northern California and struggles to afford it. On the same subject : Packed House sees Haylie McCleney, USA win gold medal over rivals Japan.
He says his dreams of becoming a lawyer vanished in an instant when the Taliban took control of Afghanistan. In the United States, he thought he would find hope. But for different reasons, he also fears for his future in this country.
“I’m afraid I’m stuck. I won’t be able to improve my English. I won’t be able to go to school. … I thought I’d get more help,” she told CNN via an interpreter, asking to be identified by name only. and refusing to share a photo of him to protect his family.
As early as this month, she was unable to pay the full $ 1,558 rent.
Sodaba says she constantly worries about paying rent and is trying to work, but is afraid to leave her mother, who has severe asthma, alone for long. Her mother has already been hospitalized three times since their arrival in California in December.
So Sodaba says he’s working as hard as he can – about 14 hours a week shelving items at the Burlington retailer.
Sodaba still lights up when he talks about the Marines he met in a camp where Afghan displaced people were temporarily placed in Quantico, Virginia last year. The dedication of the Marines in helping the Afghans amazed her. She felt hopeful during those months at the camp.
But she says trying to make it alone in America has filled her with stress and anxiety.
“It’s very difficult. There’s a lot of pressure on me. I’m really worried,” she says. “But I have no choice but to go on.”
The affordable housing shortage isn’t the only problem Afghans in the US are facing
Proponents say high housing costs are far from the only problem facing many Afghan displaced people in the United States. On the same subject : The United States and Vietnam continue to cooperate on energy security – US State Department. Add to that the challenges of finding a well-paid job, difficulties with language and transportation, and overwhelming fears for family members left behind in Afghanistan.
Furthermore, supporters say many are also facing uncertainty about their future in this country, because Congress has not yet passed a law that would give them a path to permanent residence. This is something the Biden administration has pushed for and something supporters describe as a critical step that has been overlooked for far too long.
“It comes together on its own. All of these different problems seem like smaller things, but they add up very quickly,” says Megan Flores, executive director of Immigrant Refugee & amp; Outreach Center (IROC), an organization that is helping displaced people from Afghanistan in the Washington area.
For Sultan Mahmood Goya, an Afghan displaced person in northern California, finding a job to support his family is a growing concern. He has just learned that his wife is pregnant with their third child and that within a few months they will have to move out of the flat where they live without rent.
Goya has multiple sclerosis and says he had to quit a job at a fruit juice shop because he couldn’t spend so many hours on his feet.
“I believe a man’s character is defined through his hard work. And right now I’m desperate,” he told CNN via a translator, “because I don’t know what’s going to happen to my family and where we’re going to stay if I don’t have a job. safe”.
In addition to concerns about flooding in her apartment, Shila says she is facing an even more pressing concern: her food stamps and cash assistance money have recently been stolen – a problem that advocates say is increasingly common and affects. many Afghan displaced people in Maryland, where WMAR is affiliated with CNN, reported that scammers stole hundreds of thousands of dollars in benefits from families across the state.
Flores says it looks like they’ve been hacked. And with reports of thefts rising, Flores says his organization has received a steady stream of requests for emergency food deliveries.
“They’re practically calling desperate, saying ‘Can you help us with food? I need formula milk for my baby. I don’t have food in the house for my kids.'”
Speaking to CNN via a translator, Shila says her family relies on food stamps and cash assistance benefits to get by. The money her sister earns working as a cashier isn’t enough to keep it, and Shila says she can’t work because she has to stay home and take care of her nephew, whose mother is still in Afghanistan.
He canceled his card and requested a new one, but he doesn’t know when it will arrive. He is receiving emergency food donations from the IROC, but fears he does not have enough food for his grandson.
“It’s a bad situation,” he says.
Even so, she says she wants to find a way to bring her grandson’s mother and other family members to the United States. They tried to evacuate together but were separated in chaos, like so many others who tried to escape. Given the ongoing riots in Afghanistan, he fears they will not survive.
There have been creative solutions and success stories, too
The challenges Afghans in the United States are facing vary significantly by location, says Azam of the Afghan-American Foundation. Some states, like Colorado, he says, have better programs aimed at welcoming refugees and helping them find affordable places to live.
Success stories are inspiring and important to keep in mind, says Zainab Chaudry, Maryland director for the Council on American-Islamic Relations. But Chaudry says he has also met Afghans who are afraid to go out because they have been locked up in an apartment complex where crime is rampant.
Too many Afghans live in precarious conditions in the United States, he says, and this should be a major concern.
“A nation is said to be judged on how it treats its most vulnerable residents. These are some of the most vulnerable members of our community,” he says, “because they don’t have access to resources, privilege. They don’t. I don’t understand how. the system works. “
These volunteers trying to stop evictions are feeling ‘hopelessness and anger’
In Iowa, at least one Afghan family recently received an eviction notice, according to volunteers from Des Moines Refugee Support.
“It was terrifying for them,” says Mallory Bennett, a social worker and volunteer family outreach coordinator for the group.
Eventually, the case was dismissed after back payments were made by a resettlement agency and family, Bennett says.
But other families are worried they might be next, and volunteers are rushing to apply for rent assistance before a state fund runs out.
Bennett says the situation leaves her and other volunteers poised “between despair and anger.”
“When will they start settling things for them?” you ask. “And why did it go so badly?”
She’s worried for her nephew’s safety and unsure of where to turn
At first Shila saw water build up in the parking lot of her apartment complex in the suburbs of Washington, slowly crawling towards her ground floor unit.
Before long, it was knee-deep outside as neighbors waded by. Inside the apartment, she covered her nephew’s toys in mud, damaged the door hinges and soaked the carpet. Every time a car passed, more water entered. He tried to use his nephew’s diapers to stop her.
Eventually the water receded after the storm passed, but Shila says her concerns have only grown.
He received rent assistance from a resettlement agency. But she says she doesn’t know where to turn for the recurring floods.
“I can’t live like this all day in the middle of the water. I’m sick and have an innocent baby with me,” she wrote in a text message after her apartment was flooded a second time a few hours after the CNN visit. last week . “Believe me, I haven’t slept in a week.”
More than anything else, she says she is worried about her nephew’s safety. The carpets have been replaced. And a volunteer recently brought some donated sneakers that he can now wear to protect his feet. But he noted that he has received insect bites since the flood started; she is worried that humidity will attract insects to their home.
He also doesn’t know how to prevent his family’s food stamps from being stolen, or when he has enough money to buy groceries again.
One thing Shila knows: she needs more help.
Is Afghanistan its own country?
Afghanistan, a landlocked multiethnic country located in the heart of South-Central Asia.
Is Afghanistan now an independent country? After the end of the third Anglo-Afghan war and the signing of the Treaty of Rawalpindi on August 19, 1919, the Emir Amanullah Khan declared the emirate of Afghanistan a sovereign and completely independent state.
Does the US recognize Afghanistan as a country?
United States Recognition of Afghanistan, 1921. The United States recognized Afghanistan on July 26, 1921, when President Warren G. Harding received an Afghan government mission to the White House.
Which country does Afghanistan belong to?
Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked mountainous country in South-Central Asia in an important geopolitical position, connecting the Middle East with Central Asia and the Indian subcontinent.
Why did US invade Afghanistan oil?
The invasion’s objectives were to dismantle al-Qaeda, which carried out the 9/11 attacks, and deny it a secure base for operations in Afghanistan by removing the Taliban government from power.
What was the purpose of the United States in Afghanistan? The purpose of our mission is what the President said it was: to prevent Afghanistan from becoming a safe haven or sanctuary for al-Qaeda and to ensure that al-Qaeda is not there in Afghanistan and, therefore, a destabilizing force in Afghanistan. the region.
Did we get any oil from Afghanistan?
| Afghanistan oil pipeline | |
|---|---|
| Position | |
| From | Turkmenistan, Turkmenistan |
| Passes through | Afghanistan |
| For | Coast of the Arabian Sea of Pakistan |
Does the US have oil interest in Afghanistan?
Oil and gas are not the direct causes of the war in Afghanistan, but it is important to understand the reasons for the long-term US policy towards that country. The pursuit of hydrocarbon interests has been a constant of US policy in the region for over half a century.
Who started the Afghanistan war?
In 2001, a US-led international coalition invaded Afghanistan to destroy the terrorist organization Al-Qaeda when the Taliban refused to hand over Osama bin Laden. British forces entered along with US troops. At the height of the conflict, there were more than 130,000 NATO troops on the ground.
Who started the first war in Afghanistan? War of Afghanistan, in the history of Afghanistan, the internal conflict that started in 1978 between the anti-communist Islamic guerrillas and the Communist Afghan government (aided in 1979-89 by Soviet troops), which led to the overthrow of the government in 1992.
Who decided to invade Afghanistan?
On December 24, 1979, the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan, under the pretext of supporting the 1978 Soviet-Afghan Friendship Treaty. As midnight approached, the Soviets organized a massive military airlift in Kabul, involving some 280 transport aircraft and three divisions of nearly 8,500 men each.
Why did the US invade Afghanistan?
In late 2001, the United States and its close allies invaded Afghanistan and overthrew the Taliban government. The invasion’s objectives were to dismantle al-Qaeda, which had carried out the 9/11 attacks, and deny it a secure base of operations in Afghanistan by removing the Taliban government from power.
