Wylie Update

The IRC in Boise remains grateful to the Boise community for their ongoing support and compassion towards the refugee families living at the Wylie St. Station Apartment Complex. Alongside a variety of community partners, we are continuing to meet with the affected families on a weekly basis, assessing need and providing the assistance listed below: 

• Several Wylie children and their parents participated in an event with the Boise Police Department, Shop with a Cop, to get their needed supplies for school starting this week. Wylie Station apartments hosted a back-pack give away with backpacks loaded with school supplies for all Wylie children. 
• The Wylie family that went to McCall had a restful and rejuvenating time. From one of the volunteers and friends that joined them for part of the trip: “They really enjoyed the beach, swimming, and the boat rides. They even tried tubing behind the boat, which was a hoot! Even dad. They loved it. They had fun BBQ'ing. The neighbors were friendly. We even managed to drag the kids along on a short hike! They were excited to learn about huckleberries and the vanilla smell of Ponderosa pine. I think they had a great and relaxing time.” Thank you to the McCall community that went out of their way to make them feel welcome! 
• Brighter Future Health and Tidwell Social Work Services & Consulting have begun providing weekly, drop-in mental health and emotional support groups on-site at Wylie St. Station.
• Welcome to Michael Houch, who has taken on a part time position with the IRC in Boise as a Wylie Caseworker, providing long-term assistance for the affected families
• IRC continues to receive and process requests for payment from Wylie families for ongoing needs. Wylie Caseworker Michael will continue meeting with each family to listen to their needs, now with a regularly scheduled weekly check in appointment at a location chosen by each of the families.
• The extended family of one of the Wylie victims had been in the process of preparing a new business for opening when Wylie happened. They had created a business plan, secured a space and begun prepping the space with shelving and kitchen equipment. The whole family reoriented to take care of their loved one who was hospitalized. As a result, the opening of their business has been significantly delayed. But not cancelled! We will be very excited to share with public news of their grand opening event, hopefully within the next couple of months.
• For one of the immigration applications for a Wylie impacted family, IRC identified the need for an affidavit from a subject matter expert. We began contacting appropriate subject matter experts to secure the needed evaluation and affidavit.
• Glocal Community Partners worked extensively with one family with an impacted individual still in hospital to evaluate with the medical team how to make the home the family will occupy after release appropriate to the individual’s mobility needs.
• Planning for the self-defense classes continued this week, with the Boise Police Department and Boise Valley Kenpo Karate. Wylie Caseworker Michael has identified days of the week people prefer, and tallied languages for which interpretation will be needed. Michael secured a venue near Wylie for the classes. Fliers for the first class were distributed to tenants gathering school backpacks at the free backpack giveaway. Translation of common terms (foot stomp! Eye poke! Lots and lots of kicks!) continues. Arabic is done, with Swahili, Amharic and Somali are in progress. 
• We supported the family of the child who passed away at meetings with the memorial monument maker, as they worked through their design preferences. We procured goats for a traditional wake/celebration of life for the family. 
• Agency for New Americans continued to organize the tetris of child care support for a family with high child care needs.

Please follow us on Facebook for weekly updates. Money raised will be used for services to the victims and their families who were physically injured or killed, and depending on need, to the refugee community impacted by the attack. The spending of the funds will be prioritized based on need, to medical bills, rehousing, lost wage replacement, child care for families rendered unable to care for children, mental health and other need-based services.

Thank you!