This commentary is by Kristy Pillsbury, a resident of Jay.
I am a concerned citizen who questions not only Agape Ministries Inc. but the state of Vermont and USCRI Vermont in its actions/inactions toward our Ukrainian friends who trusted our promises of a new start.
The intentions of Agape Ministries Inc. appeared less than honest, but the passive manner in which state agencies seemed to avoid managing the negative consequences the asylees were presented with, months after arriving to the U.S., calls for action as well.
I first met one of the families through my work. Her son required care that sometimes resulted in my reaching out to her. She is not an English speaker and so we used Google Translate and DeepL to communicate both in writing and verbally, as well as when we were together in person. At no time was there miscommunication to the extent that one of us did not understand what to expect from one another. It was blatantly obvious when there was miscommunication, and we simply confirmed that we were understanding or misunderstanding.
It was through these interactions that we developed a friendship and started communicating outside of work. Gradually, she began asking questions around what she was experiencing, trying to determine if this was how things worked in the U.S. or if she should be concerned.
It was quickly obvious that she should be concerned. We began reaching out to state departments and USCRI. Through these interactions we realized just how broken the system is. As other Ukrainian families witnessed our interactions, they also started coming forward, asking us for help.
For eight months we worked in some fashion — emailing, calling, or participating in Zoom meetings — with various agencies such as the Vermont Department of Health, Vermont Housing Authority, USCRI, Social Security, DCF-ESD, DCF, APS, vocational rehab, physicians offices, and yes, even Homeland Security. If there was one thing that I noticed, it was the significant lack of follow-through on some very solid and important requests to help the Ukrainians gain independence in a situation that was leaving them dependent and sometimes fearful of Agape Ministries Inc.
Individuals from the various agencies would state what specifically they could do to help. I would provide them with contact information for the asylees, requesting this specific assistance, and yet no calls were made to the individuals. Interviews with the asylees were completed by agencies and the asylees would go weeks without hearing from anyone within that agency.
When meeting with us, some agency representatives would express their own frustrations with the lack of responses or follow-through from various cohorts. Other than the help I received from the Vermont Housing Authority to assist an individual with obtaining her security deposit refund from Agape Ministries, I do not remember a single time I didn’t feel like I was failing our families or promoting false hope.
When it felt like we had exhausted our options, I reached out to a Derby state representative as well as U.S. Sens. Bernie Sanders and Peter Welch. While I did have a return message from Sen. Welch’s office, my return calls to his office went unanswered. Sen. Sanders’ office simply replied with a blanket email that proved it was quite obvious that no one read the request or simply did not care. The representative from Derby seemed quite interested in the details and provided a good show of concern but, again, he was never heard from again after that.
It seems obvious that everyone was talking but no one was willing or able to take action. But worst of all, these families were feeling abandoned. Abandoned by their sponsors who agreed to the stipulations presented to them in the I-130 they completed, abandoned by the owners of the facility they were placed in, and abandoned by the country that promised them a new start.
Health care needs were not met for several after arriving. In late spring, I assisted seven individuals with signing up for health and dental care, as they still did not have providers. One individual was seen by a physician, for the first time, last week — 14 months after arriving in the U.S.
I purchased luggage for a family that wanted to return to Europe, as they had none and could not acquire any prior to leaving The House of Mercy. Several of the asylees continue to struggle financially and physically, as they did not receive the health care, vocational training, assistance with licensing, timely work visas and Social Security cards, or the integration services needed to have a successful start here. Those who were English speakers prior to arriving have had much better results, for sure.
The Cianciolos and Shaddays make it sound like these are simple individuals who are trying to feed off of our tax dollars. In fact, these are professionals with master’s degrees and more who are always generous with their material possessions, no matter how big or small, and, more importantly, their faith, time and friendship. Any clothing individuals bought, such as the brand-name ski jackets mentioned by Mr. Shadday, were purchased with their own money that they could access through their Ukrainian banks via bank cards or their own cash allowances allotted through their state benefits.
While the Cianciolos and Shaddays state that the Ukrainians lived for free, they did not. Their freedom was taken away the day those leases were electronically signed by Agape Ministries Inc. (in the name of the asylees) without them being aware of having a choice as to where they could live once they arrived.
I hope that the information brought forth by Mr. Weinstein can result in others asking many difficult questions of those who should have been looking out for these individuals — sponsors, state and federal agencies, and Agape Ministries Inc., as well as its board of directors.
I also hope that those (victims) who supported this venture financially, through monetary and material donations, are able to get some sort of compensation if, in fact, Agape Ministries Inc. comes out with the profit margin it is anticipating when the building sells.
