JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The White House has announced it will allow as many as 100,000 Ukrainian refugees to come to the U.S. It’s expected some will come to Jacksonville. News4JAX spoke with the head of Lutheran Social Services of Northeast Florida on Thursday.
The organization is used to helping refugees. For example, in the past 90 days, they helped more than 250 Afghan refugees get housing in Jacksonville, and they’re expecting to do the same for people from Ukraine.
Yevgenia Logvinov is a former Ukrainian refugee. She and her family have been living in Jacksonville for the past 24 years. She now works with Lutheran Social Services. As part of her job, Logvinov will help with the relocation of new refugees that are expected to come to Jacksonville.
“So we came as a refugee with nothing but right now we have everything in the American way,” Logvinov said. “So, we say thank you very much for America.”
The head of Lutheran Social Services of Northeast Florida, Bill Brim, showed News4JAX Thursday how they’re preparing for a new wave of refugees, even thought it is not known yet how many will be coming to Jacksonville or when.
“In the current situation, we are definitely going to start seeing them coming through Jacksonville,” Brim said. “Jacksonville has a very robust community of refugees so there has already been a lot of people from Ukraine who have settled here.”
HOW TO HELP: Lutheran Social Services Refugee Services
The refugees will be given housing, more than likely hotel rooms or Airbnbs, until they can find permanent housing. People have asked how they can help, Brim says financial support is good, but there is something better.
“Just getting involved if you don’t have the money, please go to our website and fill out an application to volunteer and help these people,” Brim said.
For Logvinov, whose husband still has family in the Ukraine, that help is important. She’s been watching on TV what is happening to her home country. She said it’s hard to comprehend.
“I can’t imagine how they feel,” Logvinov said. “So much emotion, this is our country.”
Catholic Charities is also involved. They are expecting to see 35 refugees arrive in Jacksonville soon, and they are expecting more later this summer.