WASHINGTON — Dozens of refugee families facing homelessness in Montgomery County will receive millions of dollars in emergency funding for rental assistance and services.
The Afghan refugees were placed in the Enclave Apartments earlier this year only to face threats of eviction just weeks later. WUSA9 first spoke with residents in September and learned that many of the families recently came from Afghanistan and worked for the U.S. government, which put them in the Taliban’s crosshairs, and forced these families to escape with their lives.
“They will hunt you down, they’ll hunt your family down, they’ll kill you, kill your family members, burn your house down,” said Ilhan Cagri of Muslim Voices Coalition in September. "They are ruthless in going after the people in the US government, so knowing this, the US gives them special status called an SIV visa. This means you worked for the US government, and they make it easy for you to come to the United States.”
The families were placed at the Enclave Apartments by various resettlement agencies and soon realized they could not afford the homes as the assistance they were promised ran dry.
After months of negotiation between property owners and the Montgomery County Council, the refugees were told in November that they had just days left in their apartments due to unpaid rent.
On Thursday, the residents finally received some good news: Montgomery County Council unanimously approved $3.6 million in emergency funding for rental assistance and homelessness services for tenants and families.
“This funding is a huge step forward for tenants in Montgomery County,” said Tonia M. Chestnut, President of the Enclave Tenant Association. “We worked tirelessly to make our voices heard, from organizing tenant meetings to sitting down with the County Executive. This success shows the power of collective action and the importance of prioritizing housing justice.”
The Enclave Tenant Association says the funding is prove of what's possible when tenants stand together, while thanking organizations like Everyday Canvassing and Housing Justice Montgomery.
"Together, they mobilized tenants, attended meetings with County Executive Marc Elrich, and testified to the urgent need for increased funding," the tenants association said. "Their collaborative efforts helped ensure this vital appropriation made it onto the Council’s agenda and earned unanimous support."