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Quarterly Learning Luncheon
February 28, 2022, 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm CST
Housing Challenges for Afghan Newcomers.
Join us for a panel discussion on the housing issues that face the new influx of Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) holders and evacuees from Afghanistan.
As hundreds of new Afghan evacuees are welcomed to the Chicagoland area, housing has emerged as the most difficult part of the resettlement process. Added to the fact that there is already an affordable housing crisis in our country, evacuees come in with very limited means and no credit history here.
Bob Palmer is Policy Director for Housing Action Illinois for the past 30 years. His work entails creating and funding a state rental subsidy program for extremely low-income households, securing money for affordable housing in Illinois’ capital budget for the first time, passing state legislation protecting homeowners and renters during the foreclosure process, and protecting state funding for homeless service providers.
Jessica Schaffer is Director of HIAS Immigration & Citizenship, part of JCFS Chicago’s family of services. She has worked in Chicago’s immigrant and refugee communities for nearly 15 years and comes to this work inspired by the history of family members who were resettled as refugees after the Holocaust.
David Zverow is a Board Member at Refugee Action Network, a Program Consultant at ICNA Relief in Chicago and Glendale Heights and a Director at HIAS Chicago. He serves as a liaison for a number of community organizations and social services.
Co-sponsored by Refugee Action Network and Building Peaceful Bridges