Housing Refugees - The Founder's Experience

By: Margaret Mokhnyuk

Ukrainian refugee, my aunt Nataliia, who lost her home and became a displaced immigrant with the status of refugee was most influential in my life. Ukrainian refugees seek a sense of belonging, acceptance, and community integration to rebuild a home in another country amidst the upheaval of displacement. A family of 6 refugees fled from the heart-wrenching conditions of war. My family and I partook in an undesignated task, without a clear end as we took on more refugee families. Throughout the process of assimilating into America, my aunt never chose to look at the negative aspects of what was happening in Ukraine but moved forward, never letting the sadness from back home take over how blessed she felt to be in America. I realized the importance of gratitude, smiling, and acknowledging that everything we receive is an important life lesson - even if it feels unsettling now. After all, even after losing everything, people still manage to seek positivity, as the country devoid of war is where Ukrainian impoverished citizens feel free, not wrapped in the structure of a corrupt government or the will of evil people. The process of crossing into America with validity was a tough process itself, a program called Uniting for Ukraine aids beneficiaries in receiving temporary haven and allows citizens in the United States to sponsor Ukrainian refugees. My responsibilities of filling out applications - as the English speaker – for work authorization (I-765), Fee Waiver Forms, Summer Camp applications, and reduced pay childcare for the smallest of 6 caused my intellectual pursuit to lessen. I aided in translation during appointments and walk-ins at the Department of Social and Health Services. Filling out paperwork, applying for welfare, and ensuring children attend school, childcare, summer camps and attain scholarships. Each interaction I had with my aunt and a social worker was upbeat, showing that no matter the circumstances, people can show positivity and should not take out their struggles on others. I engaged in inclusion for my community by finding my family subsidized housing, a low-income opportunity in one of the most expensive but safest cities in Bellevue. I learned to stay a positive person during adversity, never give up on a task at hand and to take each opportunity available into account. I felt extremely lucky to be granted the opportunity to learn in a well-established schooling program, know multiple languages, and have an introspective worldview.  Although my family has experienced more struggles than one could describe, the decreased decimation of innocent people is far more satisfactory than any amount of stability. The life lessons acquired about positivity will stay with me for the journey of life.