Annc: Murphy Austin Adams Schoenfeld, LLP, focusing on business law and commercial litigation, is proud to support Rob on the Road Region Rising.

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Annc: And now, Rob on the Road, exploring Northern California.

Rob: Hi there.

Welcome to Rob at Home.

I'm Rob Stewart.

It is great to see you this week as we dive into a topic that I think you will be very interested to hear about, and that is World Relief Sacramento.

The director of World Relief Sacramento is Kerry Ham, and he joins us right now from their office.

It's good to see you, Kerry.

Thanks for joining us.

Kerry: Good to see you, Rob, and thank you for having me today.

Rob: Thrilled that you're here.

So much to talk about.

And such a timely issue.

I want to start out with something that I did not know, and it was the number of Afghan refugees that are living in the Sacramento area.

One out of every nine Afghan refugee in the United States of America lives in the Sacramento area.

That is astounding to me.

Kerry: It's a surprise to a lot of people, uh, but I think it goes right to the welcoming and diverse nature, and our heritage, uh, as Sacramentans to be, uh, diverse and welcoming and... and just the, you know, the city that we are, and that we're proud of.

Rob: Is that just... just happenchance?

Did that that just happen, that people want to relocate here?

Or is this a spot that is already predetermined for refugees' arrival for their resettlement?

Kerry: It's a little bit of both.

That... that's a great question.

So, you know, and we get that a lot.

Why Sacramento?

Why are Afghans coming to Sacramento?

Rob: And I don't mean that in a... in a... in any way, except for curiosity.

Kerry: No, absolutely.

And... and that's how most people an-— uh, ask that question.

And so, I would say it's a little bit of chicken and egg.

Uh, when people want to move anywhere-— and... and that's what we, really, at World Relief, what we want to do is help people belong in their new home.

And so, when... when people want to move anywhere, they... they want to embrace the new culture, but they also want to know where the community is for their... their old culture.

And... and so, what we've seen is as the, uh, community of Afghans has grown here in Sacramento, more Afghans want to come.

And they want to learn about who we are and their own new identity as Americans, but they also want to connect with people that have had some of the same experiences they've had.

And so, as the community has grown, it's just a bit of an exponential factor of, uh, wanting those two things at the same time.

Rob: I want to make this very clear that, uh, this is not just like moving.

This is under incredibly difficult circumstances that human beings are having to face.

Um, you deal with both immigration and refugees, people who are... are many times fleeing for their life, from, um, you know, violence and poverty and extreme, extreme conditions without food and... and situations.

And I'm...

I'm wondering, first of all-— How are people when they get here?

Specifically, we will... we'll stick with the topic of the Afghans.

How are they, emotionally, when they get here?

Kerry: Well, you know, what you alluded to, that the refugees, when they go anywhere, are not just moving-— uh, but there are a lot of similarities.

The same things that have to happen when you move, which is a change of address and... and registering at the different offices.

All those things have to happen.

Uh, but at the same time, you're exactly right.

Refugees have come through very difficult circumstances and... and, sometimes, recent difficult circumstances.

Rob: They'’ve come through Hell.

Kerry: So, when they arrive-— What's that?

Rob: They'’ve come through Hell.

Kerry: Absolutely.

Uh, but I want to make one point just crystal clear.

Uh, refugees are resilient people.

They're creative in their own right.

And they're ready to start that new life, but it does come in the context of "“Hell,"” as you put it.

And so, when they arrive, many times, they are, you know, in a bit of shock, uh, in a shock from a new culture, in a shock from a new home, and in a shock from what they've been through.

And so, what we're able to do at World Relief is to come alongside them in that process, help stabilize in the first 90 to 180 days, and then connect to programs, either at World Relief or with other community partners, to begin their new life as Americans and Sacramentans.

Rob: Do they even get to arrive with luggage?

Kerry: Well, it depends.

And, uh, some, yes.

Some, no.

Uh, there are, uh-— You know, what I would say, every story of every refugee is unique.

Just like every single person is unique.

There are, uh, similarities.

Similarities of what they've gone through, similarities in what they need to do.

And... and I would say, you know, at times, uh, there are refugees that arrive with, uh, a certain amount, you know, two or three suitcases and... and... and a head start on... on their new life.

And, sometimes, it's roughly the clothes on their back.

And so, we assess, uh, where they are, what they need in any number of different levels, whether it's luggage or just the ability to start to navigate, uh, the social networks.

Rob: So, there's a... a huge language barrier.

If we're talking about, um, the Afghan refugees, if I'm not mistaken, most speak Dari.

Kerry: That's correct.

Most speak Dari, but there are some that speak Pashto and, uh, Urdu.

Rob: Okay.

And so, is that... that's-— The umbrella of that is Farsi, correct?

Kerry: Uh, with... with Dari, the umbrella is... is Persian, which would include Farsi and Dari.

Uh Pashto is a little bit different of a language, uh, family.

But, uh, yes, that's correct.

Rob: And the dialects-— Sometimes, in writing, the... the language is the same, but the dialects are tremendously different... Kerry: Absolutely.

Rob: ...depending on where you are from.

So, that right there is, in and of itself, a barrier.

Do the people that work with World Relief Sacramento speak many different languages?

Kerry: Uh, they do.

We have a number of language, uh, uh, different languages on staff, and capacities.

Uh, some Dari speakers, uh, Russian speakers, uh, Arabic speakers.

So, uh, it depends.

We... we do have a very, uh, multicultural staff.

Rob: And, also, are they greeted?

Uh, or how are they greeted?

Literally, how?

Kerry: Well, uh, part of the process that works through the U.S.

Refugee pro-— uh, you, know, Program is many times, but not always, there's what... what is termed as a "U .S.

tie."

That could be a relative.

That could be a friend.

And so, before someone arrives, we connect with the U.S. tie to try to understand a little bit more.

And then we are there at the airport with a greeting, uh, to take them to their housing for the evening, their culturally appropriate meal to give them that... that first "welcome."

And... and I do want to back up to the language, uh, just for a second.

Rob: Sure.

Kerry: And... and, uh, you know, with the Afghan, uh, population, especially with those coming under the Special Immigrant Visa program, our Afghan allies-— Well, many of those are our allies because they spoke English and they served as interpreters.

But, again, with the unique nature of the family, and of the program, maybe that's only the father.

Or maybe it's only the mother.

And so, what we've seen is 61% of the, uh, Afghan women that arrive are not only unable to speak English, but they're preliterate in their first language, which is a very difficult, uh, avenue to... to go down.

As you're trying to learn a new language and-— but have not gone to school in the same ways, it presents its own unique challenges that we navigate with the families.

Rob: That's a lot.

Um, I...

I want to... to clarify a couple of things that I think are important in case you're wondering, um, where you're watching this.

We have seen many videos from Afghanistan, um, of planes that are packed with people, and... and dying to get on.

Is that part of this, because World Relief Sacramento has been here since 1989.

World Relief, globally, has been here since the end of World War II.

So, where do you fit in to the current situations in Afghanistan?

Kerry: Well, in a couple of different ways.

And so, as we've seen in the, uh, final days of the... the United States drawdown in Afghanistan-— We've... we've all seen those videos.

We've all seen the pictures.

And we've seen the families that are trying desperately to get out.

And that's one aspect of the people that are arriving, were part of that, uh, were part of that group of people who got on the last plane, or the last days before Kabul, uh, fell.

Uh, but I also want to reiterate our, uh, our community here in Sacramento-— Over the last six to seven years, our community has grown.

As you mentioned earlier, one out of every nine Afghans living in the United States lives here in Sacramento.

And, because it's a new population, every single person here in Sacramento is tied to family still in Afghanistan.

And so, as our community that's been here watched those videos, they were trying desperately to get their families out.

Some of the ones that did get out are saying, "My family is still there."

So, we have the trauma that people have gone through in the last month, but also trauma of being worried and at some, uh-— at the same time, you know, terrified, uh, for their own family.

Rob: Yeah.

Kerry: In many cases, those that helped our military, uh, they're terrified for their family because of what they did for us, which is why here at World Relief, uh, we continue to advocate that we, as the United States, honor our, uh, responsibility to the Afghan people and our allies that helped us.

Rob: Um, and I also imagine that there are families that are divided.

And... and, as you mentioned, there are people looking for their relatives that are-— some are still there.

Some are here.

Um, and are you seeing people reunited here?

Kerry: A little bit of both.

Uh, you know, and... and... and that's a recurring theme because, again, not everyone is the same and everyone has their unique story.

But we are seeing families that are still trying to get, uh, fam-— you know, family members from Afghanistan out, and are trying to find avenues for more humanitarian parole.

Uh, but we have seen families that did get out get, uh, get reunited here, that haven't seen each other in years, uh, but are reuniting here in the U.S.

Rob: Um, let me ask you-— I...

I saw that in 2017, 1,800 people, alone-— Is that correct?

-— came in... into the Sacramento area.

Kerry: Um, actually, that's how many came through our office.

There are... there are-— We are the only-— Or... or we are not the only resettlement agency here in Sacramento.

Uh, there are currently five agencies that do some of this resettlement.

World Relief is one of the largest.

And so, that's how many people came into, as refugees.

Now that does not mean Afghans; That's from all locations, including, I think, the largest or a... a large part of that number is from the former Soviet Union.

Uh, so I would say, probably, between the five agencies, um, probably around 2,000 came in 2017.

That was the largest year that we have had, up until this year.

Rob: Take me to the-— Can you walk me through the timeline of when you saw the largest influx of refugees coming to Northern California?

When did this surge?

Kerry: So, that's a great question.

And so, over the course of the years, uh, that the, uh, Special Immigrant Visa program, the refugee program, has been in operation.

We have seen a number of times when, on an annual basis, large numbers have come into Sacramento.

For instance, as you said, in 2017, large numbers, uh, were-— uh, uh, arrived here.

Uh, now, the difference between what we've seen in the surge and in those times is the last two months have seen an increase in arrivals greater than the previous eight months combined.

So, what we've seen is an annualized number that would exceed 2017.

So, it's a little bit of the total, and a little bit of the speed of the volume that is the difference in what has happened over the last two months, versus historically.

If it... if it stayed at the rate that it has been, and it looks like it... it quite possibly could, we'll exceed some of those 2017 numbers.

Rob: And so, when you refer to the last two months, you're talking about since, uh, basically the... the pull out of Afghanistan Kerry: The three weeks prior, uh, as... as some of the... the airlift and the evacuation started three weeks prior to the fall of Kabul, and then from that date until the final pull out of the U.S.

Rob: How, if possible, and how prepared, uh, could you be for, uh, the massive influx?

Did you know it would be that big?

Kerry: So, Rob, I will say that we were not, uh, as prepared as we want to be.

Uh, we... we understood that the numbers could increase.

In fact, we were prepared for the numbers to increase, but not as fast and as high as it went.

And so, what you've seen is a lot of the resettlement agencies scrambling to... to staff up, uh, to put in some other infrastructure that, frankly, over the last, uh, four years, much of our infrastructure has... has gone down, uh, due to a lowering of... of arrivals.

And... and I... and I would say it's also been exacerbated by, uh, what's happening in the Sacramento area.

In 2017, we were not experiencing a housing crisis.

In 2017, we were not operating under some of the new realities of COVID.

In 2017, we, uh, were not competing, if you will, with those being evacuated from wildfires.

So, if you combine all those factors together and the increase of volume, it's been a challenging few months.

Rob: And you have done a lot of work in these past few months, including-— Kerry: Thank you.

Rob: You know, this is a-— You've had a nonstop schedule and...and I'm grateful that you found the time to do this because you have been working around the clock every day.

You guys have really been working hard.

Um, when someone gets here, um, I imagine there's trauma.

Um, you mentioned COVID.

We have the entire layer of the medical needs outside of COVID that people bring, you know, with them that need attending.

Um, you must have a massive, uh, web of service systems that you can connect people into resources.

Kerry: Well, I mean, absolutely.

It's pretty-— It... it's complex.

And so, when... when someone arrives, uh, we have a, uh, a packet of data that tell us a little bit about the family, uh, any, uh, specific medical concerns, a little bit of history, language capacity.

Uh, but what we found is that's no substitute for what we call "the initial assessment," to try to understand what are the unique things about this family, and... and what do they need?

Now, when they drop into this system, there are several things that have to happen.

Uh, we want to get people's social security card.

All the things that you think about when moving to a new location that have to happen, uh, to get connected to, uh, county services.

If there are children, uh, we need to get them enrolled in school, connect people to employment services so they can eventually become self-sufficient.

Uh, and so there's an entire "web," as you put it, of things that have to happen, um, in order to thrive and... and gain stability, uh, that... that we assess and then begin to make sure people are matched up and connected in those areas.

Rob: And to gain freedom.

Kerry: Absolutely.

Absolutely.

Rob: Um, your story with World Relief is quite touching.

Um, and there are so many stories.

Every single person has a story, but I want to talk about yours for a minute, and then I want to talk about some refugee stories.

How did you get involved with World Relief Sacramento?

Kerry: That's a great question, Rob.

If you would have asked me a few years ago if I would be leading a refugee resettlement agency, I would have thought you were crazy.

Um, I-— Uh, my background, my education, a 20-year career was in commercial agriculture.

Uh, in fact, I was known as "“the sunflower guy.

"” Rob: Wow!

Kerry: Uh, I worked with farmers that, uh, that raised sunflowers to get their product to the end market, uh, so it can become cooking oil.

Uh, but in... in 2013, uh, I wanted to volunteer.

And... and I would say that I, like probably most Americans, was blissfully unaware of the refugee, uh, program.

And... and I learned about World Relief.

I thought it sounded interesting, and I signed up to volunteer.

Uh, my first volunteer task was an airport pickup for an arriving family.

I went to the Sacramento airport and, uh, had a sign for, uh, a, uh, an Afghan family.

I found them as they were coming down the escalator, and... and it happened to be a translator who had worked with the U.S. army, and his family, five children and wife.

And they looked exhausted.

Rob: Forty hours, at least, to fly.

Kerry: It was around a 40-hour trip from, uh, from Kabul to Dubai to Germany, and from Germany to New York, and from New York to Sacramento.

And... and so, this family was exhausted.

And... and I looked at the father who... who spoke English and I said, "Could you tell your family 'Welcome to America'?"

And he turned and he said in Dari, uh, "Welcome to America," and just, there were six smiles, uh, that came back, uh, right at me.

And... and I knew this... this was something I wanted to do, and I volunteered for a, uh, a couple of years and, uh, in various ways, including being a host home, uh, when we didn't have apartments, and... and eventually changed careers and went on staff, and I've been the director since 2017.

Rob: I know there are stories that have just stuck to you, uh, and in those times I mentioned how busy you are, those stories that get you through.

Can you tell me the story of-— a refugee story, or the story of a refugee who has totally just imprinted on your heart?

Kerry: There... there are so many, but... but I can think of one and I will...

I will go back to my days as a volunteer, and how that's progressed.

Uh, so, uh, as I was a volunteer and, uh, one of the opportunities we have, especially when we are unable to find housing in that immediate time before someone is coming, so we're not able to have an apartment ready-— Most times we are, but notalways.

So, in this particular timeframe, uh, uh, again, I was not on staff.

I was a volunteer and, uh, my family and I were, uh, privileged to serve as a host home for a few days.

And, uh, I remember I went to do the airport pickup and through the airport pickup, uh, I...

I told the... the husband-— and it was a husband, his wife, an infant, and... and a toddler-— and I remember telling the husband, "You're not going to go to, uh, an apartment.

You're going to come home to my house because our apartment isn't ready."

And... and he turned and translated to his wife.

And I'll never forget the... the look of I'm going to say, uh, horror on her face as she landed in Sacramento and just learned that she was going to go to the house of someone that she had never met, different religion, and just like, wow, uh, what else could be happening?

And... and they came to our house and... and I would say it was, if... if one word could describe it, awkward.

Rob: Yeah.

Kerry: Two cultures coming together.

And, uh, they were there for a few days, and... and it was a, uh, it was a good time, but I would say it was... it was awkward.

And we were very happy to have been able to do that.

Well, about a month later, they... they reached out and said, "We want to have you to our new home, in our apartment tonight."

They laid out a spread and said, just "thank you," and the difference in... in their faces and their demeanor was unbelievable.

And I'll...

I'll finish it up this way and say that, um, about a year later, uh, he reached out again, and he said, "I want a bigger apartment and I'm wondering if you could write a recommendation because I need a recommendation."

I said, "Of course I will."

And uh, he said, "I want another bedroom so I can welcome people the way you welcomed me."

And... and, to me, that's the encapsulation of what we do.

It's the encapsulation of the spirit that we need to have.

And so, where you see someone that was, uh, resilient, creative, and wanting to integrate, uh-— I mean, the-— In that time, there are a number of stories.

Stories of overcoming hardship, uh, success, uh, that, uh-—We've seen people that have come through our office 20 years ago that are successful people in their... in their careers today.

And so, it's, uh, th... th... there are too many, but that is-— that's one that, uh, that will always stick out to me.

Rob: I cannot imagine how many stories, um, that you have, uh, in your heart.

And that, I have to say, goes back to volunteering and exposure and getting out there to do this, because the more isolated people become, the more divided and the more we, um, forget how much we are alike.

We are more alike than we are different.

And I think that your organization-— Wow!

-—does an amazing job of helping this... this region flourish.

Kerry: Thank you.

Yeah, it... it's, uh, it's very humbling, uh, and... and an honor to be able to do this.

Rob: Well, it's-— I'm...

I'm thrilled that you were able to do the program.

This has been such a... a special half hour, um, and I wish all of the refugees, and all of the immigrants who have come here, well, and I also say, "Welcome."

And to you, I say, "Thank you."

Kerry Ham with World Relief Sacramento, it's great to see you here on Rob at Home.

Kerry: Thank you.

♪♪ ♪♪ Annc: Murphy Austin Adams Schoenfeld, LLP, focusing on business law and commercial litigation, is proud to support Rob on the Road Region Rising.

More information available at murphyaustin.com.