The U.S. State Department is telling the state of Vermont that it can expect Afghan refugees to begin arriving as soon as early October, according to Tracy Dolan, director of the State Refugee Office.
The refugees would be resettled in Vermont over the course of four to five months, Dolan told VTDigger on Friday.
Initially, the Afghan refugees would be housed in Chittenden County, where there are plenty of services and a robust infrastructure for refugee resettlement. Eventually, they would be settled in one other part of Vermont, Dolan said, probably another large community with services.
Dolan provided additional details about the state’s plan a day after Gov. Phil Scott confirmed national reports that 100 refugees would be resettled in Vermont through a partnership with the state chapter of the U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants.
A separate group, the Ethiopian Community Development Council, recently applied to the State Department to resettle another 25 Afghans in Brattleboro.
The State Department is telling states that the average family size of the refugees is 3.5 people. Dolan said Vermont can expect a mix of single people and families.
Dolan said she is heartened by offers of jobs for Afghan refugees.
“We’ve had tons of outpouring from businesses,” she said.