Help Afghan single mom & 9 kids avoid homelessness

A group of volunteers has been working since November 2022 to support a single mom and her nine school-age children build a new life in the Washington DC area. In mid-February 2024, the family will lose the rental assistance they need to stay in their current home, along with the attentive schools, neighborhood connections, and stability that their housing provides. Donations are urgently needed to help them stay in their home.

Mom and kids are on their own after arriving legally in the US in 2022 and their applications for political asylum are in process. They have been forced to move in the U.S. several times, which has been disruptive to the well-being of the family. During this past year, the family has been fortunate to be placed in a new home with space for all 10 family members, within walking distance to a mosque, parks and shopping. Multiple teams at local refugee aid agencies did incredible work locating a supportive landlord and furnishing the home to get the family started. A generous network of neighbors and school staff have helped the children get settled into routines with school, buses, homework and activities.

Our volunteer group provides support services not easily available from state, county and non-profit agencies due to their own resource constraints, such as ongoing donations of food, clothing, and household supplies; and organizing school registrations, home repairs and medical and dental appointments. Our group drives the children to and from medical appointments, immigration appointments, the mother’s English classes, swimming lessons, preschool and more. The DC area is a busy and expensive place to raise a family – even more so for a single parent with nine children, limited English skills, a 7th grade education, no job, or ability to drive or afford a car.

Despite these challenges, the family has been making great progress; the childrens’ English language skills are blossoming; their school performance is improving; and they have learned to swim and ride (donated!) bicycles. The mother has been diligently attending English classes, adapting to U.S. culture, and working hard to keep her children healthy and engaged, albeit with limited financial resources.

However, the family now faces a huge obstacle because their rent assistance will end in mid-February 2024. Although they receive SNAP and TCA benefits, the money is not sufficient to cover rent. In fact, in some months it is not sufficient to provide food for everyone all month. Mom is applying for part-time jobs but that income will not be enough to keep them in their home. It is well-understood that a stable housing situation is essential for the success of children in school and for helping refugee families move toward self-sufficiency. Thus, it is critical to the family's future that they remain in this housing situation at minimum through the end of the school year but ideally for as long as possible.

Please consider making a donation to help this family stay in their home where they have finally begun to build a more stable and secure life.

Our volunteer group and the agency teams has been working for months to secure federal, county and agency rent support so this family does not get moved to a shelter. We continue to work hard on other means to secure additional funds, such as advocating with local authorities and lawmakers, but results from those efforts are slow to materialize. Unfortunately this family is running out of time to avoid homelessness, which would have devastating impacts to the childrens’ physical, developmental and emotional well-being.

To protect the family's privacy we are not sharing any personally identifying details or photos. Thank you for taking the time to consider their situation and thank you for ANY financial help that you can provide. All funds raised will go to pay rent ($3500/month) utility bills and home maintenance expenses. We want to raise $50,000 to cover 12 months of rent and associated home expenses to help this family continue building a life in the United States.