Leaders from Portland's immigrant communities say they are working to clear up any confusion over the city housing policy for the hundreds of asylum seekers facing an August 15 deadline to move out of the Portland Expo building.
At a briefing Thursday, Portland City Councilor Pious Ali says he and other leaders have met and spoken with asylum seekers in recent days. The asylum seekers have been made to understand that if they refuse housing offered by the city, they will be asked to leave the Expo and find their own accommodations.
"You will be out with your kids and your luggage," Ali says. "Some of us have places we can invite you in. But there aren't that many of us who own houses here that can house you. When you are out there, if you refuse the housing that the city gave you."
Portland city officials told councilors at a workshop Tuesday night that many families have declined housing in outlying towns such as Brunswick, but Ali and other immigrant leaders say that many of the asylum seekers they have spoken with are willing to move to surrounding communities. Claude Rwaganje, the executive director of the nonprofit ProsperityME, says many of the asylum seekers are eager to relocate to new housing options, even beyond the immediate Portland area.
"Based on what I heard last night, folks are interested and willing to relocate,” Rwaganje says. “So if there was any issue that may have come at any point, we are willing to go and talk to them. And we are also welcome to talk to city officials."
The groups say they are also working with city and regional groups on a "host home" program connecting asylum seekers with local residents offering space in their homes for at least a few months. Rwaganje says that he and other leaders are interviewing potential host families.
