The search for housing for Afghans comes amid a tightening housing market as the U.S. crawls out of the pandemic.
The nationwide vacancy rate for rental units dropped about one percentage point, to 5.6%, in the last quarter of 2020, according to recently released U.S. Census data. The typical U.S. rent was up nearly 16% to more than $1,850 in January compared to last January, according to the online real estate marketplace Zillow, which launched an effort in November to help connect landlords with newly arrived Afghans.
The area’s stunning mosques and plentiful Afghan eateries have softened the blow of leaving his homeland. But he was shocked by the high price for his family’s safe haven — $2,000 a month for rent. But with some 76,000 Afghans arriving in the United States since the Taliban takeover of their country last year, many of these cities are reaching their saturation point, said Krish O’Mara Vignarajah, president and CEO of the Lutheran Immigration Refugee Service.
Near the nation’s capital, Lutheran Social Services has helped settle more than 4,000 Afghans since last summer. For many, the benefits of a community that is like “a second Kabul” outweigh the high housing costs, said Zabi, a housing coordinator for LSS and relatively recent refugee from Afghanistan who asked to be identified by his nickname because he still has family who could be targeted there because of his prior work with the U.S. military.
In Newburyport, Massachusetts, churches opened their doors to temporarily house four Afghan families. The Rev. Jarred Mercer said helping them set down permanent roots is daunting given the high cost of living in the largely white, affluent community near the New Hampshire state line. That already happened to several Afghan families who were asked to try a new location after searching for months for a home in Southern California, said Sonik Sadozai, a volunteer with Afghan Refugee Relief.
Australia Latest News, Australia Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Afghans resettling in US struggle to find affordable housingAfghan refugees who fled their country following the Taliban takeover six months ago are struggling to find affordable housing in the high-cost U.S. cities where they’ve chosen to settle
Read more »
Afghans resettling in US struggle to find affordable housingAfghan refugees who fled their country following the Taliban takeover six months ago are struggling to find affordable housing in the high-cost U.S. cities where they’ve chosen to settle.
Read more »
Afghans resettling in US struggle to find affordable housingAfghan refugees who fled their country following the Taliban takeover six months ago are struggling to find affordable housing in the high-cost U.S. cities where they’ve chosen to settle.
Read more »
Afghans resettling in US struggle to find affordable housingMany hope to settle in Southern California and the Washington, D.C., area, where Afghans previously established vibrant communities with Halal grocery stores and mosques. But these communities also are among the country's priciest housing markets.
Read more »
'Cleveland for All' event welcomes 600 Afghan refugees who have resettled in Cleveland since October“Refugees aren’t people to be politicized they are people to be loved.'
Read more »
Larry Ellison's Hawaii housing project has some residents concernedIt's the first affordable housing project on the island since the early 1990s.
Read more »