The process to find and secure safe and affordable housing for clients has been a defining challenge for resettlement agencies. The housing market is already a complicated system, riddled with complicated negotiations, market competition, and high prices. It can be stressful for refugee and immigrant families to navigate this process on their own. With the high level of APA and existing cases, the IRC in NJ focused on collaborating with partners to ensure homes were ready for newcomers.  

Under the Afghan Placement and Assistance Program, (APA), the relief program for Afghan entrants determined by the Biden Administration, the IRC in NYNJ launched a new APA case management initiative to support Afghan arrivals in the fall of 2021. The Resettlement & Placement department (R&P) has worked hard to ensure APA cases, as well as existing cases, receive immediate support. Important to this continues to be finding housing, organizing food deliveries, and focusing on access to social benefits.  

From October through the end of December 2021, the IRC in NJ has increasingly helped move in and prepare apartments for arrivals, including Afghan families. Take a look at this chart to see how under the APA program, apartment setups increased in October 2021, during which 31 apartments were set up compared to the previous months:

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While securing housing in New Jersey is a challenge, the resettlement & placement department has worked hard over these past few months to ensure clients find safe and affordable homes. This could not have been achieved without the tremendous support of the IRC in NJ’s partners, donors, and volunteers. The IRC in NJ collaborated and is grateful for its many partners including One World One Love, Warehouse NJ, Welcome Home Jersey City, and many others! These efforts demonstrate the IRC in NJ staff’s commitment to supporting clients with moving from centers/hotels to a space they can call home.