WHITE PLAINS – For the
second time this month, the Public Safety and Social Services Committee
of the Westchester County Board of Legislators spent an entire hour-long
meeting reviewing ways to acclimate a growing number of refugees in the
county.
The committee invited several stakeholder organizations, including Hearts
and Homes for Refugees and its founder, Kathie O’Callaghan of Pelham.
“How do we acclimate them,” she said. “What do we show
them about our community. It’s not just important for them to arrive
and have a soft landing but it’s important that they start to understand
the culture and feel not just integrated but acclimated and become part
of that fabric.”
O’Callaghan noted Pelham has been particularly welcoming by offering
a variety of resources. Among them were several stakeholders at the committee
meeting, including Catholic Charities, and a student refugee support club
at Scarsdale High School.
The refugee outreach began when Catholic Charities referred a Syrian family
of six.
One legislator asked why is anyone who has never lived in this country
entitled to something.
O’Callaghan said federal law mandates they must be accommodated
