Group Looking To Settle 150+ Afghan Refugees In Lowell Area

LOWELL, MA — The International Institute of New England is planning to settle 150 recent Afghan evacuees and hundreds more refugees in the Lowell and Boston areas over the next year, the organization said.

The organization expects to settle most of the evacuees in greater Lowell, as it has with the over 330 Afghan refugees it has previously settled, CEO Jeff Thielman said on a Pioneer Institute podcast published Thursday.

They expect 500 humanitarian arrivals from Afghanistan over the next year, including 150 recent evacuees. The first people may land in the area this month.

The institute is seeking donations to support the arrivals, noting that many of them "will not be immediately eligible for public assistance" and will need "case management, direct financial support, English language training, and more."

Financial support can go to shelter, food, legal services and more.

Under the "humanitarian parole" status most evacuees will have — short of full refugee status — the Afghan arrivals will receive a cellphone, housing and $1,250 from federal funding, but everything else will come from donations, the Boston Globe reported.

That includes translation service, job-hunting help, school supplies and more.

The institute expects the first arrivals to begin in Sept. and has put out a call to small landlords for temporary housing, the Lowell Sun reported. That could include hotel rooms, dormitories, rooms in private homes and shelters run by churches and other organizations.

Other organizations will likely settle refugees in other parts of the state, Thielman said, but the institute will focus on the Lowell area.

Christopher Huffaker can be reached at 412-265-8353 or chris.huffaker@patch.com.