SILVER SPRING, Md. — There are new concerns from at least 50 families who are facing evictions at a Silver Spring apartment complex. Now, county leaders are stepping in.
WUSA9 has been following this story since September --- when we first learned that several refugee families were at risk of being put out. Now we're learning the latest negotiations failed.
WUSA9 wasn’t allowed inside of the meeting, but sources tell us the meeting didn't have any good news for the people who are facing these evictions.
"It's so bad, like she can't explain it,” woman facing eviction, Amira Alhaj Merhi said.
Frustrations fueling a passionate plea from Amira Alhaj Merhi as she continues to push against her notice of eviction.
Through a translator she says she's trying to make ends meet with her, her husband and her two disabled kids but she says she lost hope after this latest meeting with her apartment complex about being evicted.
"I hope someone will help her, but she did a lot of meetings before and nothing come through,” Alhaj Merhi said.
She is just one of the more than 50 families who are facing evictions at the Enclave apartments in Silver Spring.
No one was evicted Saturday but several families we spoke with say they've lost hope when it comes to the future after this meeting.
"He is disabled - he come to the greatest country, and they should help as a disabled... not put him in a shelter, he's not homeless,” man facing eviction, Zakaria Mohamad Khirallah said.
As we've continued to speak to people here, we've noticed a pattern where many of the families recently came from Afghanistan and worked for the U.S. government.
That work put them at risk with the Taliban and they were forced to leave for their safety.
But after moving here families realized they were being placed in homes they couldn’t afford, and the assistance they were promised soon ran dry.
"I still have serious concerns,” Montgomery County councilmember, Kristin Mink said. “It's always good to have people together and give community members more context, more resources but today was sharing difficult information."
Now there's a call for more county funds to help with rental assistance.
"What they want is jobs, they’re desperate for work,” Project SAFE (Saving Families from Eviction), Ilhan Cagri said. “The community is reaching out to try to find work for them but one thing we need is county money to keep them housed."
“We really do need more rental assistance at the county level,” Mink said. “Funds are tight admittedly they are most likely going to get tighter in the coming months and with the incoming administration but this is a good investment making sure we’re able to keep people housed for the length of time that it takes for them to get jobs.”