Andy Close
WARREN, Pa. – Warren County is looking into the possibility of taking on Ukrainian refugees for resettlement.
On Wednesday, the Warren County Commissioners approved MCM Consulting to conduct a County Refugee Replacement Hazard Identification & Risk Assessment.
Essentially it is a “community feasibility review,” according to Commissioner Tricia Durbin, with the idea of determining whether the community is successfully able to resettle refugees.
“This is to vet the idea of county refugee replacement,” Kafferlin said. “They essentially do a risk analysis and come up with mitigation efforts to continue on with the county refugee replacement plan.”
The agreement is “very standard” according to Kafferlin. “They have experienced staff who have directly worked with refugees.”
“There is some misunderstanding that the county government itself would be bringing in refugees. Churches and individual organizations are the ones that truly do the work. The county government is strong at one thing, being a strong instrument of justice. We really need to lean on the organizations such as the churches who have shown their full support in terms of, housing and transportation and enhance what those organizations are doing.”
Durbin supported a cap of $3,000 dollars for the assessment while adding that they could add additional hours if necessary.
“I’d just like to see something where there is a stopping point,” Durbin said. “I think it’s positive. I’ve gotten a lot of positive feedback from people in the community who think this is a good idea, who are offering their services and homes if feasible.”
“Is $3,000 going to be enough,” asked Commissioner Jeff Eggleston.
“The meat of this is going to be the hourly rates,” Kafferlin said. “I think it’s something we need to ride.”
Once the results of the assessment are complete, the county would then present the findings to the Department of State and Homeland Security, Kafferlin said.
On April 21, President Biden announced the “Uniting for Ukraine” program, which provides a pathway for Ukrainian citizens and their immediate family members who are outside the United States to come to the United States and stay temporarily for a two-year period of parole.
“The key is having a unified front as we present the options to the Department of State and Homeland Security,” Kafferlin said. “I think it’s a great opportunity.”
