Athens-Clarke County this year will begin welcoming an increasing number of refugees fleeing conflict in their native lands for a new home in the U.S.
The Atlanta office of the International Rescue Committee plans to open a sub-office in Athens by end of the year, and hopes to begin resettling refugee families in Athens as soon as October.
Opening an Athens outpost has been in the works for five years, said IRC Atlantic regional director Ellen Beattie. The organization has opened similar sub-offices in cities like Charlottesville, Va., and Lincoln, Neb.
College towns like Athens have an “international flavor” because of their worldly academic staff, and universities possess strong language resources that new refugee arrivals rely on, Beattie said.
For newly-arrived refugees, whose journey to the U.S. has been long and stressful, a smaller town makes for an easier transition.
“Small towns are more navigable,” Beattie said.
Beattie said IRC staff has already met with county, school and health department officials to prepare Athens for the refugees’ needs.
The Athens office, at first, will have one full-time staff member, soon increasing to two, and will bring in necessary support.
Beattie said between 120 and 150 people, roughly 40 families, will resettle in Athens in the first year. Most of these refugees will come from Myanmar and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Once the office is established, Beattie estimates a city of Athens size can handle up to 250 refugees, about 60 families, a year.
