LOS ANGELES — Working in retail wasn’t a dream for Omid Rasooli. But it is his lifeline right now as he plans out his future. He’s an Afghan immigrant who spent four years in his home country risking his life working with U.S. Special Forces.
Now, for the last two years, he’s trying to make ends meet as the sole provider for his family of four and taking English classes in his spare time to help his family acclimate to a new country.
What You Need To Know
- Resettlement agencies typically have up to 90 days to help newly arrived special immigrant visa holders and refugees with one-time cash assistance and more
- After that, nonprofits step in to help families in need
- According to an Orange County staff report, more than 500 Afghan refugees arrived in the area in the summer of 2021
- To help them, the county launched a team of departments to help provide services
“If I don’t, my rent will go unpaid, my kids will suffer. It’s hard, but I’m doing everything I can for them,” Rasooli said in his native language of Dari.
Resettlement agencies typically have up to 90 days to help newly arrived special immigrant visa holders like Rasooli and refugees with one-time cash assistance, temporary housing, enrolling kids in school and more. After that, nonprofits like the Tiyya Foundation step in to help families in need. Rasooli is desperate to find rental assistance.
“Rent is expensive. I pay $2,450 each month. But I just applied for section 8 housing. Hopefully, we will get that,” he said.
According to an Orange County staff report, more than 500 Afghan refugees arrived in the area in the summer of 2021. To help them, the county launched a team of departments to help provide services. OC Supervisor Andrew Do said they are connecting those departments, resettlement agencies and area nonprofits by creating the Office of Immigrant and Refugee Affairs to make it easier to find services.
“Between the county and the nonprofits and federal and state agencies, we have a lot of services out there," Do said. "It’s just a matter of coordinating those services, so that way, it’s one portal through which immigrants and refugees get and access service."
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Mahmood Omid, Rasooli’s case manager, noted that having this level of coordinated services will be a game changer for new arrivals who are already on the way.
“They will help with housing, they will help with education. They will help with how they can get public benefits,” Omid said.
Without his case manager’s guidance, Rasooli said he wouldn’t have known — let alone applied — for the Anaheim Section 8 Housing lottery. Now, he’s waiting to hopefully hear good news.
“They’ve helped me so much, and they continue to do so," he said. "They’ve helped us get our start, and hopefully, we’ll continue to work through our troubles day by day."
OIRA will be located at the county’s Community Service Center in Westminster.