Yakima County quickly might turn out to be dwelling to wherever from 50 to 100 Ukrainians searching for refuge from their war-torn nation, mentioned Paul Garcia, a former U.S. Special Forces commander serving to with the trouble.
Making ready for such an occasion, Yakima County commissioners on Tuesday authorized utilizing a $250,000 resettlement grant from the state Division of Commerce to assist after they arrive.
“I be ok with it as a result of we have to do these sorts of issues for everyone,” Commissioner Ron Anderson mentioned in a cellphone interview. “What’s occurring in Ukraine with Russia is horrible. I don’t know the way the US has let this go on for therefore lengthy with out clamping down. It’s simply unacceptable.”
Garcia of Yakima mentioned Commissioner Amanda McKinney and Gov. Jay Inslee labored tirelessly to get the grant to Yakima in preparation for his or her arrival.
“They acknowledge that individuals are coming,” he mentioned. “It’s very tough to venture and produce individuals into the U.S. in a deliberate means. There are such a lot of individuals which might be arriving.”
The grant can be utilized for hire, housing wants, transportation, employment, well being care, faculty provides, computer systems, meals, clothes and different important wants.
Garcia mentioned lots of the Ukrainian refugees have been traumatized by battle and can want assist.
“They’re going to require extra assist than a household that was capable of get out and possibly didn’t expertise the trauma of battle,” he mentioned.
Garcia mentioned he’s been working with Roger A. Gavriluk, retired commander of the Yakima Coaching Heart and director of the nonprofit Operation Shoulder to Shoulder, which goals to assist refugees from war-torn international locations.
U.S. Sen. Patty Murray’s workplace helped information efforts to determine Operation Shoulder to Shoulder, which now employs psychological well being professionals, English as a second language lecturers and housing specialists.
Garcia mentioned the nonprofit was inundated with inquiries from Ukrainians after a narrative revealed in December a couple of household he helped evacuate from Kabul after U.S. forces pulled out of Afghanistan final 12 months.
There are about 100 Afghanistan individuals — expert pilots, journalists and school professors — at present searching for refuge in Yakima County, Garcia mentioned.
“I believe they’ll do very properly right here,” Garcia mentioned.
