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Refugees Find Jobs in Virginia's Shenandoah Valley

Posted by: maryereynolds

8 August 2006 - 9:00am

Newcomers to the U.S. are finding jobs and a safe place to call home outside of the nation's big cities.

Thanks to the Virginia Council of Churches resettlement program, the Shenandoah Valley is a safe haven for refugees. In Harrisonburg, Virginia, refugees find jobs, affordable housing and they feel safe. Ukrainian native Viktor Sokolyuk, coordinator of the resettlement program in the valley, explains: "It's not that important whether they live in a city or a village. The most important thing for refugees is safety."

Refugee Ukrainians, Vietnamese, Laotians, Cubans, Ethiopians, Kurds, Yugoslavians and other nationalities add to the ethnic mix along with thousands of Hispanics who come to the region for jobs in agribusiness. The region's poultry industry provides steady employment for newcomers; these jobs do not require English-speaking skills. Officials say that poultry jobs suit the main objective of the resettlement program: to make people financially independent.

Full Story: Peace in the valley for 5,000 refugees
Source: Richmond Times-Dispatch, August 6, 2006
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The areas where we have severe blight and indications of more blight to come are basically the same as they ever were. How in the world are we ever going to move our community development selves into an alternative future that thinks differently about the challenges we face in our cities and low-income suburban and rural communities?
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