The CRIS Team Helps Families Develop Firm Foundations

As we have since our earliest days, CRIS continues to adapt to meet the evolving needs of the Central Ohio community. Even while there are currently no new refugee arrivals to welcome, our team is hard at work serving people who live here. That means our housing staff are less focused on securing apartments, completing applications, and coordinating move-ins, but they are still incredibly busy providing education and resources to help refugee families build long-term stability and security in their homes. One family who has appreciated this help is Lari, Ani, and their four children (pseudonyms).

In early 2024, Lari, Ani, and their children were resettled in Central Ohio after spending years in a refugee camp in Zimbabwe as refugees from the Democratic Republic of Congo. The family brought with them their resilience, hope for their kids’ futures, and a strong desire to build new lives on a stable foundation. 

The CRIS Housing team helped secure their first permanent home and facilitated their move-in. The CRIS resettlement team helped Lari and Ani enroll their three oldest children (ages 14, 11, and 9) in school. For Lari, ensuring stability for his children was his highest priority; their new lives were bright with possibility. 

A few months later, though, the challenges of adapting to life in the United States began to intensify. Although Lari secured a job shortly after arriving, transportation issues and financial hardships made it difficult to make ends meet. Adjusting to the practical aspects of maintaining a new household came with its own learning curve, too. He had never had things often taken for granted here–a dishwasher and washer and dryer. 

More urgently, he was unfamiliar with online systems for submitting rent and utility payments and began to fall behind simply because he didn’t know how to access these platforms. The family faced mounting pressures, including an eviction notice that threatened to upend their tenuous stability. Losing their home would have disrupted the children’s education and caused additional stress for the entire family.

To help Lari navigate these challenges, Anna, one of CRIS’ housing specialists, took a hands-on approach to ensure the family could stay in their home and maintain a stable environment for the entire family.

Anna worked closely with Lari and Ani to address their immediate housing needs, starting with the eviction notice. She was in communication with their landlord, advocated for the family, and helped them apply for emergency rental assistance. Once the eviction notice was resolved, Anna turned her focus to building the family’s skills for managing their household.

Using the E.D.I.P (explain, demonstrate, imitate, practice) method, Anna provided Lari and Ani with personalized guidance on everyday tasks. She showed them how to use their appliances, ensuring the family could maintain a clean and functional home. To address the payment issues, Anna walked Lari through his rent and utilities payment portals. She also created a step-by-step video of herself completing a payment using a mobile phone, enabling Lari to practice the process independently.

Over time, Lari gained confidence in managing his household. He now submits payments on time, ensuring his family’s housing is secure. His work situation has improved so that he is able to pay his bills. The children were able to stay in their schools, where they’ve made new friends and are excelling academically. 

For Lari and his family, creating and maintaining a stable home has been monumental in their journey toward safety and stability, self-sufficency, and successful integration into their new community.