In late November, Foibe Nibitanga spoke clearly and calmly about the challenges her family faced since arriving in Kansas City. On Sunday, her assertive demeanor had disappeared. With a handful of her eight children pouncing on an old couch beside her, Nibitanga's words were quiet and her eyes were wet.
On Sunday, she was even more fearful. Last week, she says, the lights went dark and the heat petered out in their apartment. Making her even more anxious: JVS officials told her that, from here on out, she's on her own when it comes to paying her bills.
Nibitanga pulls out a a spreadsheet, given to her by her case worker, that shows how JVS spent the more than $4,000 it received from the federal government to resettle the African refugee family in Kansas City. According to the numbers, JVS paid the landlord $2,100 in October and November to cover the family's rent. It spent more than $1,400 of that money on household items and gave the remaining $450 to Nibitanga in two separate checks. A second column on the page outlines the money JVS spent from its own resources to assist the family: $192 on food and $875 on clothes, furniture and household items.
It's hard to see that $2,275-worth of household items in Nibitanga's Prospect apartment -- the couch that appears to be missing its legs and sinks in the middle, the one wooden table that would barely seat a family of 10, the scattering of mismatched office chairs in the living room. Nibitanga has a roster of the items that were provided but says some of them -- a baby bed, for instance -- may be on the list but they never appeared in her apartment.
The paperwork is most concerning to Nibitanga because, she says, it marks the end of assistance from JVS. She says her case worker told her that the federal money allotted to her family had run out and Nibitanga would have to start paying her own bills. As she speaks, Nibitanga pulls out a bill from Kansas City Power & Light for $110. The December statement is addressed to Jewish Vocational Service. But, written in pen, it says "Foibe Nibitanga -- pay."
Nibitanga receives food stamps and cash assistance from the state, but she doesn't think it will be enough to sustain her family. She says she's strong and willing to work, but has only been taken to one job interview since she arrived in October. Because she can't speak even basic English yet, she can't find employment on her own.
Adding to her anxiety, Nibitanga says the electricity went out at her apartment on Thursday, leaving the family with no light and rotting the few provisions in the refrigerator. The heat went out, too, she says. To stay warm, the family fled to another house in the Northeast to stay with a relative. By Sunday morning, the lights still don't work. The thermostat appears stuck on 64 degrees -- but it feels at least 10 degrees colder in the apartment. In one of the children's rooms, a vent near the floor spills cold, not warm, air.
Joy Foster, executive director of JVS, doesn't dispute Nibitanga has to start shouldering her own financial burden after less than three months in the country. Referencing input from the family's case worker, she notes that Nibitanga gets nearly $2,000 from the state each month in food stamps and cash assistance. Her elderly mother-in-law, who lives with the family, also receives more than $300 per month and will soon get $674 per month in social security payments, as well. According to JVS, the caseworker tried to get the lights repaired on Friday and knew nothing of the heat problem until Sunday. As of Monday evening, the landlord was still working to warm up the apartment.
But it's clear that Nibitanga still struggles to communicate with her English-speaking case worker and has difficulty navigating the city. She says she still hasn't received immunizations or a skin test for tuberculosis. Her husband, who has hearing trouble, missed a doctor's appointment in December because, she says, JVS couldn't help her get to the hospital. On this frigid Sunday morning, she doesn't know when her children are supposed to go back to school, when the Christmas break ended. She believes she was rejected for a cleaning job at the Ameristar Casino, because of her husband's hearing impediment, while JVS claims her husband turned down the position.
Standing in the chilly apartment, Nibitanga is quick to consider whether her family would be better off in the refugee camp in Tanzania.
"Africa," she says quickly, "is much better."
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I think a deeper understanding of the refugee assistance program is crucial in order to analyze a story like this. Refugee assistance programs like JVS and Catholic Charities here in Kansas City are extremely understaffed and underfunded, despite their attempts to grow. The government sends far more refugee families their way than they have the staff to handle (and yet we can't complain about that--these families must have somewhere to go.) We cannot blame these problems on JVS, rather we as members of communities in KC where refugees live need to step up and help our neighbors. Case workers who have 20 different families to take care of each can only do so much.
There is nothing that I can say about what Carolyn has done to enlighten Kansas City residents about the refugee plight in the area. Maybe JVS is another case of city hall fiasco.....I hear Mr. Foster, Joy's husband is working at JVS! Myabe that's why things are failing here. Anyone who can be help to solve this problem? Carolyn you are wonderful! Thanks for your informative writing.
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