Nashville leaders and nonprofits are partnering together to raise funds for Afghan refugees settling in the city. Dozens of Afghans have already arrived in Nashville and over 300 are expected to arrive in the coming months.
In September, Congress passed a bill to provide emergency assistance for Afghan evacuees as they resettle in the United States. But advocates for refugees say the federal money only helps pay for the initial basic needs.
“While this fund will give temporary support, it doesn’t go far enough,” Councilmember Zulfat Suara said at press conference Wednesday.
The Welcoming Nashville Fund is a citywide fundraising campaign to supplement federal dollars and provide additional services. The effort is led by the United Way of Greater Nashville, the Nashville International Center for Empowerment and Catholic Charities (Diocese of Nashville). They hope to raise at least $300,000 to help secure housing, food, health care and legal paperwork for refugees once they arrive.
The citywide effort to welcome Afghan refugees comes as the state’s Republican leaders cast doubt around the security of the country’s resettlement plan. Suara urges against spreading fear and misinformation about refugees, especially because evacuees undergo a rigorous vetting process at the federal level.
“What we know in Nashville is that, when we welcome with open hands our brothers and sisters into our community, it has been very fruitful,” Suara said. “It’s been a good thing.”
Suara is the first Muslim to be elected to Metro Council. She says Tennessee has welcomed refugees for a long time and that this time shouldn’t be any different.
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