ECDC to resettle refugees in Wausau
For the Wausau Times
ARLINGTON, VA – The Ethiopian Community Development Council, Inc. (ECDC) has received authorization from the Department of State’s Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration (PRM) to begin resettling refugees in Wausau.
“The full proposal and budget have not yet been approved, but in a cost extension of its FY21 agreement, PRM has given ECDC approval to move forward with its plans to open its Multicultural Community Center in Wausau. With this approval ECDC may also include Wausau in its resettlement of Afghans through the Afghan Placement and Assistance (APA) program. Nationwide, from now through March 2022, ECDC plans to resettle 3,100 Afghans through the APA program through its network of 17 resettlement sites,” an ECDC release stated.
To prepare for the start of refugee resettlement in Wausau, ECDC maintains regular contact with local and state service providers, is actively recruiting a Director for its Multicultural Community Center, and is raising funds to hire local staff. When staff is in place, ECDC will work with community partners to prepare for and serve the first arrivals, which could be 10 or more individuals before December. The program plans to receive 75 more individuals from January through September 2022.
“ECDC’s proposal to resettle refugees in Wausau has been driven by the community’s interest in welcoming newcomers. We will continue to work closely with community stakeholders to establish the program and welcome the first arrivals,” said Jessica Chapman, ECDC’s director of community engagement. “Our goal is to ensure each family has the support they need to make Wausau their home, and we hope to do that by pairing families with co-sponsorship teams.”
Based in Wausau, Gwendolyn Paul has joined ECDC’s team as a volunteer co-sponsorship coordinator, and she will be working to mobilize co-sponsorship teams in the coming month. Community members may sign up to learn more about ECDC’s co-sponsorship program at https://www.ecdcus.org/community-sponsorship/.