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Community Welcomes New Neighbors

Pictured are Colombian asylum seekers in the Jamestown community cooking food at St. Luke’s for a donation to support their material needs. Submitted photo

As the community welcomes refugees and asylum seekers as new neighbors, the New Neighbors Coalition is asking the community for support and understanding.

While the New Neighbors Coalition has worked with Journey’s End on refugee resettlement over the past year, the Rev. Luke Fodor from St. Luke’s Episcopal Church said the coalition has also been working to help Colombian asylum seekers in Jamestown.

Linnea Haskin, Jamestown Public Market director, said the New Neighbors Coalition is “trying their best” to work with both groups of new neighbors in the community.

“Their needs are similar in a lot of ways, like transportation and donations of clothing and help navigating the system, but they’re also different as well,” she said. “Trying to navigate all of that has been a challenge, but one that we’ve taken up very well.”

Haskin said one of the most important things the community can do for the Colombian migrants is to “rally behind them” and show support by welcoming them as part of the Jamestown community. To date, Haskin said the community has been “very welcoming” to those who have migrated to Jamestown, which she said is recognized and appreciated.

Haskin also stressed the importance of raising awareness in the community to the difference between those relocating to Jamestown as part of the refugee resettlement process and those relocating as part of the asylum-seeking process.

“The families seeking asylum are unable to work legally,” she said. “They are unable to receive public benefits; we’re working on that, but it’s quite the process. That’s in contrast to the refugee families that arrive to this community with quite a bit of support from the federal government and local nonprofits. It is limited, but it’s more than what the asylum seekers have.”

Both Fodor and Haskin explained that St. Luke’s Episcopal Church currently has two Colombian families that are cooking “authentic Colombian dishes” on Sundays after church from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. in exchange for donations. Haskin and Fodor shared that the money collected from the donations helps support the material needs of the families, since they are currently unable to work in the community. The families are hoping to provide food at the church in exchange for donations every Sunday, with the exception of Easter Sunday. Haskin said the goal is for the families to eventually transition to be the Jamestown Public Market’s first weekly prepared food vendor.

As the New Neighbors Coalition seeks to provide support for asylum seekers in the Jamestown community, Haskin said the coalition has been “made aware” of additional families that have arrived in the city over the past few weeks.

“We just continue to learn from the experience that we’ve had with the families we’ve been working with to better help these families,” she said. “They are very capable of advocating for themselves. They’re hustlers; they work really hard. They want to work really hard. They want to contribute to the community. They want to make Jamestown home, and they have made it home and they’ve made friends, but there are some things that they cannot navigate on their own.”

According to Fodor, one of the primary needs for those seeking asylum in Jamestown is legal assistance. Marian Beckerink, a member of the New Neighbors Coalition, said the legal community in Jamestown has volunteered to conduct “pro bono” work to assist asylum seeking families who are trying to navigate the legal process, which Beckerink said is a very difficult process.

Beckerink said that while the people seeking asylum are “trying to do the right thing,” the current legal process makes it “nearly impossible.” As a result, she hopes people will support efforts to reform the system in the future.

“We are looking for more attorneys to sign up for this work,” she said. “The Jamestown Bar has a call to action for local attorneys to reach out and take advantage of this process. If they’re interested, contact the Jamestown Bar Association.”

In order to represent those seeking asylum, Beckerink said attorneys are required to register through the Executive Office of Immigration Review. According to Beckerink, two local attorneys have already registered and are currently waiting for cases to be assigned through the Volunteer Lawyers Project of Erie County.

Beckerink told The Post-Journal that those interested in providing support for refugees and asylum seekers in Jamestown have to understand that the process of supporting the individuals requires “building relationships” and investing time and energy into helping others.

“We’re people in the community trying to create that community environment,” she said. “Every interaction is an opportunity to deepen your relationship, and that takes time.”

Haskin said that unlike other organizations, the New Neighbors Coalition is not a “formal program” assigned the task of serving as “case managers.” Instead, she explained that the coalition is available to help refugees and asylum seekers navigate various challenges.

“We’re not here to force upon them what they should and shouldn’t be doing, but we are her should they have questions,” she said. “Just like any new neighbors, they came here for a better and more successful life.”

Fodor said the community has the opportunity to serve as partners and friends to the individuals and families relocating to Jamestown. Both Fodor and Haskin shared how their interactions with the refugees and asylum seekers have “enriched” their lives. Haskin said that by realizing how much she has in common with people who might come from different cultures and backgrounds, she has been able to build new relationships and friendships with the people relocating to Jamestown.

“One of the things that we love about our small Jamestown region in Western New York is that it’s so intimate and kind and caring and we’re enriched by people being in our lives,” Fodor said.

After working with a couple of the families for the past few months, Fodor said it has been “amazing” to watch the change and progression of the families as they become more comfortable and more familiar with the community, the culture of Jamestown and the English language. Fodor added that English language classes are hosted at St. Luke’s on Sundays following the lunch served at the church, providing an opportunity for parents and children to learn English together at the same time.

Fodor explained that the goal of the New Neighbors Coalition is not to create a “dependency culture,” but to invest in the “future” of the Jamestown community by investing in people’s lives.

“The more we put into the social capital and working with people, the more we’re going to get out of it in the long term,” he said. “We know the population of the region is decreasing, and we need to find a way to rebuild our communities and to reinvest. Most of the properties in Jamestown are owned from outside of the region. We need to find a way that we can get local home ownership and people in the community to invest in the community, and this is a key way of doing that.”

Beckerink echoed Fodor’s comments, describing the “beauty” of bringing people into the community who have an “incredible sense” of resiliency. She explained that many of the refugees and asylum seekers have experienced difficulties that most people could not imagine. As a result of the difficulties they have persevered through, Beckerink said they have a sense of resiliency and determination that “cannot be taught,” but that can be instrumental in businesses and strengthening the community.

“You’re bringing some of the most resilient people into this community and really strengthening it from the bottom up,” she said.

Fodor stressed the importance of the community supporting the “initial group” of refugees and asylum seekers. He said that if the community faithfully supports the first wave of refugees and asylum seekers as the adapt to life in Jamestown, the first wave will be able to help the next arrivals, building a strong system of support in the region.

“It’s our opportunity to invest in them, so that they can invest both in this community and bring in future communities,” he said.

Asked about the most pressing needs facing refugees and asylum seekers, Beckerink said additional ESL services would be “very helpful.” She explained that the more a person is able to speak the English language, the easier it will be for them to navigate other challenges in the community.

Fodor and Haskin added that patience is needed on “everyone’s part” as the community takes steps to welcome new neighbors and support people from different cultural backgrounds.

“We’re all coming together,” Haskin said. “We are a true melting pot. Just understanding and trying again to step outside of your comfort zone.”

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