NORTHAMPTON — As the city prepares to welcome 51 refugees to town in the coming weeks, one of the largest challenges is finding housing.
That’s why the housing group within the city’s refugee resettlement initiative will host an information session on Monday to gather ideas from residents.
The refugees, which will likely come from Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan, Burundi and/or the Congo, could begin arriving at any point, said Housing Planner Peg Keller, so she invites the public to come and discuss creative options.
“We’re hoping if attendees aren’t able to offer housing options themselves, then they might help us brainstorm,” Keller said. “There’s been a lot of interest but we still need to identify specific housing opportunities.”
The event will take place Monday at 7 p.m. in City Hall, room 18. In the session, working group members will go over the basic housing requirements, the kinds of adaptations required and the support system available.
Since waiting lists for public housing are too long to wait for, Keller said she’s hoping to identify private residences in which to house the incoming residents.
Three months rent, she said, is covered through the resettlement agency, Catholic Charities of Springfield. After three months, Keller said the goal is for working-age adults to find jobs that will enable them to pay rent. Community fundraising efforts also will ease the transition.
“We’re hoping that people either have rooms in their houses or accessory apartments or maybe an Airbnb they can take offline for a while,” she said. “It’s hard to find affordable housing in Northampton, but we’re thinking for 10 families we may be able to do it.”
Northampton’s resettlement is part of a broader effort begun last fall when President Obama increased the number of refugees to be resettled in the United States from 70,000 in 2015 to 85,000 in 2016 and 110,000 in 2017.
These refugees are coming from all parts of the world, displaced by wars and terrorism.
Amanda Drane can be contacted at adrane@gazettenet.com.