Rahim and his mom Farrah, both refugees from Iraq, share an apartment in New Haven.  They both have medical needs and are barely getting by on their DSS awards.  Despite their individual hardships, each one takes care of the other.  They never complain; they pay their rent every month.  They survive the cold weather by turning on the heat for only one or two hours a day.  Mother and son huddle under thick blankets and cook one meal a day.  When Feyi, their case manager at IRIS, called Rahim to tell him of his rental assistance, made possible through a generous grant from N2N, he was beyond happy.  He asked Feyi to thank everyone at IRIS and N2N for their kindness and thoughtfulness.  Having this assistance means that Rahim can get a bus pass to attend ESL class at the Adult Education Center, something he stopped doing due to illness and lack of funds.  More importantly, it means being able to cook and eat more meals each day, which will help Rahim and Farrah return to better health.  For the time being, Rahim and Farrah do not have to make the difficult choice between keeping a roof over their heads, heating their apartment, or having food in their stomachs.

With the support and hospitality of the Greater New Haven community, IRIS has been helping refugees start new lives in New Haven for over 25 years.  In the economic downturn it has been much more difficult for refugees to find jobs, so more of them are at risk of losing their housing.  Thank you, Neighbor to Neighbor Lifeline, for providing much-needed rental assistance to refugees this year!