So I guess we call illegal aliens "Refugees" now?
Refugee children need a safe home, and Muscatine could be it
GROUP HOPES TO FIND TEMPORARY HOMES IN MUSCATINE FOR REFUGEES\
MUSCATINE, Iowa — A Des Moines group wants to find a place refugee children can call home — at least temporarily — in Muscatine.
The statewide project, 1000 Kids for Iowa, which helps refugee children settle in Iowa, will host an open house in Muscatine on Sunday.
The group will host its program beginning at 3 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 21, at Musser Public Library, 304 Iowa Ave. The event will be open to the public.
During the meeting organizers will examine how Muscatine is unique, begin the search for networks of people to connect with, and develop an plan to move forward with finding safe place for refugees in Muscatine.
The program is sponsored by the Des Moines-based Eychaner Charitable Foundation, which promotes non discrimination and cultural acceptance. Its intent is to find temporary homes in Iowa for child refugees from Central America and to help find local support services for them. So far, the program has found temporary homes for more than 300 children.
"This really brings together a coalition of people willing to work together on this," said Jessica Brackett, the program director for 1000 Kids for Iowa.
Most of the children are already in this country, having fled their home countries due to problems with crime and violence there.
A news release from the group said that its members "believe refugee children should be housed in individual homes, not incarcerated in large warehouse-type facilities."
Brackett said that the project has gotten overwhelmingly positive response from Iowa residents. She said part of that response might be explained by the state's historically strong refugee resettlement efforts, such as the decision by then-Gov. Robert Ray in 1975 to take in Southeast Asian refugees fleeing the effects of the Vietnam War and other regional conflicts. Recent years have seen Muscatine been a resettlement location for Liberian and other African refugees.
The group has organized activities in 25 cities in Iowa and looking to expand to other areas in the state. In addition to being one of the bigger cities in the state, Brackett said the area's historically strong Hispanic population also makes it an attractive location for Central American refugees.
