After much searching and several rejections, the ISA reached agreement on an apartment rental in the Boston Metro North area. The adults in the two families, along with lease guarantors from the ISA, signed the lease in mid-April. Over several days in late April and early May, volunteers from ISA and members of the two Afghan families collected donations of beds, furniture, housewares, linens, etc., etc., from many generous individuals and from 8-10 different locations, and moved them into the apartment. The families unpacked the items, assembled beds and furniture, and we finally moved them from area hotels into their new home over the first weekend in May. We are so grateful for the generosity of our volunteers and our larger network of supporters, for financial support through Catholic Charities of Boston to pay a significant portion of the rent for a year, and for the trust that the landlords showed to agree to rent to a blended two-family group of seven people in a four-bedroom apartment.
There’s much more to come: bank and utility accounts, school registration, English and job support classes, learning the transportation system, and navigating their new country and culture. But a comfortable, safe place to live is such an important foundation to their journey, and the families are very happy to be in their new home.
