“The heartbreaking images and stories of people fleeing their homeland were a call to action that New York State is more than willing to respond to,” Hochul said in a press release. “We welcome our new Afghan friends with open arms and are committed to providing them with the help they can count on to rebuild again. “

Francis Sengabo, director of operations at the Emmaus Refugee and Immigrant Assistance Service (RISSE), said they expected a large number of arrivals in Albany in the first week of October, according to the length of the verification process. Sources told The Times Union that some Afghan refugees have already started arriving in the Albany area.

“We are trying to expand to accommodate more children in after-school programs,” Sengabo said of RISSE’s efforts to prepare for the influx of refugees. “And also our English class, we now have three levels with maybe 70 students.”

RISSE is just one of the local organizations stepping up their efforts to prepare for the expected newcomers. One of the main issues of concern to aid workers is housing.

“There is a real shortage and a real need to help people in the community who have been resettled,” Tim Dougherty, CEO of the West Hill Refugee Welcome Center, told The Times Union last month. “It’s an extremely complicated, sensitive and nuanced thing.”

The need for volunteers to help with programming, beautify properties, and do the unrecognized grunt work is ongoing, said Dougherty.

AirBnB announced last month that it would provide temporary housing to Afghan refugees around the world.

“As (the International Rescue Committee) helps welcome and resettle Afghans in the United States, accessible housing is urgent and essential,” said David Milliband, CEO of the refugee relief organization, in a statement. Press release.

The sudden influx of refugees comes after years of delayed arrivals under the administration of former President Donald Trump. During Trump’s tenure, the refugee admission ceiling was reduced from more than 110,000 in the last year of the Obama administration to just 18,000 in 2019 – and the number of actually settled refugees was even fewer.

Afghan refugees have been particularly affected by attacks on the Special Immigrant Visa Program (SIV), which was created to bring safety to Afghans and Iraqis who worked with the US military. When the Trump administration took over the program, the number of visas approved for Afghan applicants (excluding family members) increased from 4,120 in fiscal year 2017 to 1,649. Among Afghan applicants to SIVs approved for a maintenance phase, 84% received a visa in fiscal year 2016. In 2019, this rate fell to 60%.

“We believe this is due to changes in the security screening process, or maybe just a lack of emphasis in getting things done – maybe the political will to allocate resources has failed,” Betsy Fisher, director of strategy at the International based in New York. Refugee Assistance Project, told The Times Union last month.

Many immigration advocates and experts have criticized the evacuation of Afghanistan, saying the rush to save Afghan lives could have been avoided with more leadership and more effective programming. There are currently over 17,000 SIV applications pending for Afghans, along with at least 53,000 family members.

Jill Peckenpaugh, director of the Albany field office of the United States Committee for Refugees and Immigrants (USCRI), told The Times Union that Albany expects to relocate 400 refugees next year, 25% of whom are SIV.

“This year, by far, we have received the most SIV requests for New York State,” she told the newspaper last month.