ECDC
WAUSAU, WI (WSAU) — Global refugee agency Ethiopian Community Development Council has announced plans to resettle a handful of refugees in Wausau by the end of 2021.
Wednesday’s approval marks the start of the next steps in the process, which will include the hiring of staff including a director for a multi-cultural community center. Once that person is in place final preparations will begin to welcome around 10 refugees by December.
“[Those ten] first arrivals will help get our feet wet,” said Pastor Rebecca Voss with First United Methodist Church, who is part of a group of Religious leaders that have been leading the effort to bring refugees to Wausau. “They most likely will have some extra skills that will help us as we resettle more refugees.”
Once those individuals are on their feet as many as 75 more could be resettled between January and September 2022. Voss says at this point it’s too soon to tell where they will be coming from, as the State Department will have the final say in who is resettled in Wausau after vetting is complete. A press release from the ECDC did hint that Wausau could be included in the group’s Afghan Placement and Assistance Program.
Voss adds that they still don’t have an office space secured for the multi-cultural center, but they’ve had “no shortage of space being offered” for that location.
“ECDC’s proposal to resettle refugees in Wausau has been driven by the community’s interest in welcoming newcomers. We will continue to work closely with community stakeholders to establish the program and welcome the first arrivals,” said Jessica Chapman, ECDC’s Director of Community Engagement in a press release. “Our goal is to ensure each family has the support they need to make Wausau their home, and we hope to do that by pairing families with co-sponsorship teams.”
RELATED: Local Religious Leaders Looking to Bring Refugees to Wausau
Community members interested in learning more about the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program and ECDC’s plans to open a local office in Wausau are invited to attend a public education event, scheduled for Thursday, October 7, from 6:00-7:30 PM. The link to register for this virtual event can be found at https://newbeginningswi.org/. Voss says there will be multiple opportunities for the public to help the resettlement efforts through financial donations or the donation of goods.
