By Brenda Flanagan
Correspondent
The bullets they don’t stop for children there…
They’re safe now in their Jersey City apartment — but Hossam and Suha Al-Roustam told us through an interpreter, how they carried their two kids across a desert to escape the war in Syria, where non-stop bombing left their son shell-shocked.
“My son no longer is able to speak due to him being frightened. I lost my store and my house was destroyed so there’s no way that we could live,” said Hossam Al-Roustam.
They were granted official refugee status by the United Nations. The family’s one of four recently resettled in New Jersey by CWS – Church World Service. They’re one of nine organizations that works with the UN to settle families. They just opened an office in Jersey City.
“It’s a very big immigrant population and because there are a lot of immigrants here they’re very welcoming to newcomers. The response that we’ve been getting from residents in Jersey City is tremendous,” Mahmoud Mahmoud, Director of the Jersey City CWS said.
CWS gets $1,900 per refugee to help pay expenses. Meanwhile, a Clifton community service group called Wafa House also welcomes Syrians, even those without proper documents. Some arrive so scarred by trauma, they don’t want to live. One refuge saw his family executed.
“They were shot dead right in front of him. He had to flee. He has tried to commit suicide by drinking Drano,” said Zillehuma Hassan, Executive Director of Wafa House.
She says Wafa House provided counseling, beds, clothing, jobs — even interpreters.
“They’re going to need assistance in every part of assimilation, whether it be from starting a household to opening a bank account. We don’t turn anybody away. We try to assist whoever we possibly can,” said Hassan.
President Obama ordered the Syrian refugee quota raised from 1,500 to 10,000 — but critics say, the US has already done its fair share.
“I mean, we are having to be very careful about who we let enter this country from these war torn regions to ensure that terrorists are not coming here. I think the Europeans need to continue to step up here — both in terms of the amount of money they provide for humanitarian relief. They have not done as much as the United States has done on that front,” said GOP Presidential Candidate Carly Fiorina.
“The US can easily resettle 100,000 refugees, which is what we’re recommending for the next year. Our process is complicated. It needs to be improved and made more timely, but the United States of America is certainly capable of doing it,” said Elanor Acer of Human Rights First.
Both Hossam and Sufa have relatives trying to flee Syria. His wife bustles about their kitchen while the kids play. The former supermarket owner now works for a moving company. The neighborhood’s a good fit, and their son has started to talk again.
“I’m feeling a lot better – not a little bit — a lot because I feel my dignity has returned to me,” he said.
As more Syrians seek refuge, communities in New Jersey will open their arms and offer shelter – the question is whether they’ll also get the financial and political support they need to thrive here.