…RISC Resettlement Coordinator Cordelia Revells
8:00 a.m. I start my day early since HIAS, the agency that sends us clients for resettlement, is based in New York. Today we’re corresponding about a family of five from Burma that is flying into SeaTac tonight along with another family of Rohingya migrants that is arriving in two weeks.
11:30 a.m. I lead a team meeting in our Kent office with the resettlement case managers to discuss the logistics for this evening’s airport pick up. I’m the point person for case. We finalize transportation plans for tonight and the following morning, review status of the apartment that we have rented for them, decide who will complete the grocery shopping and arrange for the culturally appropriate first meal.
I also give the team an update from last night’s meeting with the International Medicine Clinic at Harborview. They are an important partner and help us with extended case management, advocacy and referrals for refugees. We recently had a client arrive in Seattle with muscular dystrophy and the Harborview team helped us prepare for his complex arrival. We were able to bypass the Emergency Room and get him admitted right away. Once he was in stable condition, the Harborview team helped us find an appropriate adult home for him so his special needs were met and he didn’t feel isolated.
1:15 p.m. I’m pulled aside to troubleshoot with one of our Employment Specialists. One of our clients is having trouble adjusting to the manual labor required by his new job. I want to be sure all of our staff relay the same message to him so we make a few talking points and circulate them. Many entry level jobs require heavy lifting and this position will allow the client to pay his bills and gain a positive employer reference, which can then be used to find a better job.
2:30 p.m. I make a quick run to the grocery store to pick up basic hygiene items including shampoo, toothbrushes, toilet paper and diapers. Families often arrive with only a single suitcase or bag, so we make sure they’ve got all basic necessities in their new home.
3:30 p.m. I stop by the apartment to make sure all furniture is set up for the family and put away the items I purchased.There’s another Burmese family that we resettled a year ago in the apartment complex, so I swing by to say hello and tell them that there will be a new family arriving tonight. They are very excited and say they will be sure to welcome them in the coming days.
5:00 p.m. I take a break and drive home for a bit of rest and dinner. It’s going to be a long night.
8:00 p.m. I head back to Kent and pick up the interpreter and caravan with another team member to Sea-Tac for the 11:00 p.m. arrival. Once there, we get passes to go behind security and meet the families right at the gate, as this saves us time and is less stressful for the family.
11:05 p.m. We greet the family at the gate. It’s been a two-day journey for them, and they are exhausted and stressed. We collect their baggage and load up the car. Car seats are totally foreign to them, and we spend a few extra minutes making sure the kids are comfortably strapped in.
11:45 p.m. The family enters their new home for the first time. We try not to overwhelm them with information but must cover the basics before we leave them: how to flush the toilet, how to use the shower, what a fire alarm means, how to lock the doors. We provide an emergency phone with our numbers and an international calling card so they can call loved ones to let them know they’ve arrived safely.
1:30 a.m. It’s been an extremely long day, but I’m glad we got the family settled in for the night. I drive home thinking of the family, what I observed tonight and what I’ll share with the team tomorrow.
When Cordelia isn’t helping families settle into South Seattle, she can be found running Greenlake, hiking to Guatemalan volcanoes and sampling her favorite Ethiopian dishes.
By Leslie Sugiura
Savvy cook, extreme clam digger, urban gardener and mom to Stella the dog are just a few of the titles Leslie Sugiura keeps in rotation. She’s also the Director of Special Events for JFS where she spearheads the annual Community of Caring Luncheon.
