A national refugee resettlement agency has submitted an application to the U.S. Department of State to turn Charleston into one of its "resettlement communities."
Episcopal Migration Ministries, one of nine national refugee resettlement agencies that works with the U.S. government and local groups to place refugees, and the West Virginia Interfaith Refugee Ministry have been working together in hopes of making Charleston a safe haven for refugees.
The West Virginia Interfaith Refugee Ministry aims to create greater understanding of the Muslim community and the plight of refugees, including those fleeing Syria, where millions have been displaced and hundreds of thousands have been killed.
Allison Duvall, manager for church relations and engagement at Episcopal Migration Ministries, visited Charleston with a consultant to determine whether the city could accommodate refugees in May and found no roadblocks. Since then, Duvall said they were continuing to study the city.
"The Department of State's Bureau for Population, Refugees and Migration is currently reviewing this work, and we hope to know the results of that review soon," she recently said.
Episcopal Migration Ministries submitted an application to the State Department last month to resettle 100 refugees in the first year in Charleston. Duvall noted the State Department will determine the number if the application is approved.
"If PRM does approve the proposal for Charleston, the work of refugee resettlement will be enhanced by the skills, resources and passion of the local groups and individuals who have embraced this ministry of welcoming and relationship building," she said. "We at Episcopal Migration Ministries are excited about this potential partnership."
Episcopal Migration Ministries, which began to assist refugees fleeing Nazis in Europe, currently has 30 resettlement communities throughout the United States, where local organizations assist the refugees with translation, finding work and health care, getting to know their communities and other services. Other cities include Fargo, North Dakota; Columbus, Ohio; and New Bern, North Carolina.
Kendall Martin, spokeswoman for Episcopal Migration Ministries, said that the agency has not recently submitted any applications for resettlement communities anywhere else. She said that if the application is approved, they will hold quarterly meetings with the community.
Asked how often their applications are typically approved, Martin said they had only submitted one other site application, for Wichita, Kansas, to the State Department in the past five years, and it was approved.
Lynn Clarke and Ibtesam Sue Barazi, two of the local volunteers, said they are working on bylaws for their group and preparing for the possibility of establishing a nonprofit organization if the application is approved.
"It's a humanitarian effort to save lives, and my understanding is that the majority of people coming will be children," Clarke said. "West Virginia has a tradition of helping others in need and it's a beautiful place to welcome people to."
Barazi, a Syrian immigrant who has lived in West Virginia since 1975, said they also are planning a "West Virginia Welcomes Refugees" rally to be held at 5 p.m. on Nov. 15 at Haddad Riverfront Park, followed by a candlelight vigil. The rally follows a similar event last year that drew hundreds of people. Organizers say they want to "respond to fear with love."
"We're basically saying West Virginia welcomes refugees, because they have open hearts," Barazi said.
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees reported in June of 2016 that an unprecedented 65.3 million people around the world were displaced from their homes. That figure included 21.3 million refugees, over half of whom are children. From Oct. 1, 2015 to Sept. 30, 2016, just 25 refugees arrived in West Virginia, equal to .03 percent of arrivals in the United States, according to the State Department.
Barazi said the group sees it as "a moral and ethical imperative to welcome those who need our help and love."
"This is the nature of the American heritage," she said, "and this is who we are as Americans."
Reach Erin Beck at erin.beck@wvgazettemail.com, 304-348-5163, Facebook.com/erinbeckwv, or follow @erinbeckwv on Twitter.