[LINK] Kate Linthicum of the Los Angeles Times on Syrian refugees in California

[rfmcdonald]

Kate Linthicum's Los Angeles Times article looks at how some people in California are preparing for the arrival of Syrian refugees.

Long before two families fleeing Syria's civil war arrived in Los Angeles last week, Yvette Khani and her colleagues at the International Rescue Committee were busy making preparations.

They made sure the homes where the families would be staying were clean and stocked with familiar Middle Eastern foods. They offered to pick the refugees up at the airport.

The families are part of the first wave of Syrian war refugees who have arrived for resettlement in California, including 179 in the 12 months that ended Sept. 30, according to the State Department. That number is expected to increase rapidly as the U.S. expands its commitment to offer asylum to Syrians, pledging to take in at least 10,000 in the next 12 months.

[. . .]

The two families coming to L.A. were placed with relatives living in Pomona and Cypress, and each member was given a stipend of just over $1,000. They declined to be interviewed.

In the coming months, Khani and the Glendale-based International Rescue Committee of Los Angeles, one of several agencies contracted by the government to resettle refugees, will help them find work, enroll in school and even drive them to job interviews and doctor appointments.