Allegheny County will help cover costs for local refugee resettlement efforts, after the Trump administration halted federal aid last month.
“While the federal government is causing chaos and confusion with abrupt firings and freezes, we are providing stability and will do what we can to support our service providers in their critical work to make Allegheny County a safe and welcoming community,” County Executive Sara Innamorato said in a statement.
A federal “stop work” order in January came as a blow to three local resettlement groups: Hello Neighbor, AJAPO, and Jewish Family and Community Services of Pittsburgh. The groups provide a range of support that help refugees with the essentials of a new life here: obtaining proper state identifications, finding housing and clothing, and enrolling children in school.
Those services had been paid for by the federal government prior to the freeze, but suddenly the groups were facing a total estimated total shortfall of $672,000.
But Innamorato announced Thursday afternoon the county will pay about a third of the funds needed: $224,000. She said she'll work with the City of Pittsburgh and local philanthropic groups to fund the remaining $448,000.
The county’s portion will be paid out of the Department of Human Services’ budget, and Innamorato’s administration has already secured “verbal commitments from local foundations that they will match the funds we committed,” county spokesperson Abigail Gardner told WESA in an email. Those groups have declined to be named until the money is disbursed.
“We want immigrants and refugees to put down roots here and succeed,” Innamorato said in a statement, adding that new residents are “a key to our growth and economic vibrancy for the future.
“While we certainly won’t be able to fund every grant or service that the federal government is freezing or cutting right now, this was an amount that we felt was manageable and fits within DHS’ scope and the County Executive’s desire to build a welcoming Allegheny County for everyone,” said Gardner
In December and January, Hello Neighbor, AJAPO, and Jewish Family and Community Services of Pittsburgh helped more than 220 refugees get established. The new funding will allow them to help around 80 more.
