Cruelty hits home [View all]
Back in April 2023 I took in a family of Ukrainian refugees. Mom, dad, two teenage sons, 4 year old daughter. They had lived in Kharkiv, a city in far eastern Ukraine close to Russia. They originally fled to Poland but then sought asylum in Italy. While they were safe there, they had no success finding employment. So they came to the US in February 2023.
As I understand it, there were several programs set up by the Biden administration to help refugees from Ukraine and Afghanistan. The initial programs soon filled up and the family was allowed in under a later program which had more requirements and timelines. I don’t understand the differences. The mom is very focused and stays on top of everything. Right now she is at the Ukrainian consulate in San Francisco picking up new passports for the kids.
Both parents have college degrees. The mom speaks four languages. Both parents quickly found jobs and have been working for almost two years. Putting money into Social Security that they will never benefit from. I have been letting them live here for free. I don’t have a mortgage so I don’t need income. My water and electric bills have gone up about $100/month but I can handle that. The plan was they could save enough money to rent a place (first and last, security and cleaning deposits). I gave them until at least until the end of the school year in June, 2025, to move. I plan to sell my house next year and need a few months to prep the house. I’ve lived here for 40 years and there’s so much stuff to deal with.
The kids have been attending school and learning English. Playing basketball on school teams.
No telling how or when this new outrage will hit them.
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