The Diocese
Posted: 03/09/2018
The Armenian Redwood Project (ARP) announced that together with the Syrian Armenian Relief Fund (SARF) and the Western Diocese of the Armenian Church, it has pledged to finish the last phase of the emergency housing-assistance program in Armenia for Syrian-Armenian refugees. The Diaspora intervention to assist refugees that found refuge in Armenia via a housing assistance program was initiated in 2014 in coordination with UNHCR Armenia to augment the number of beneficiaries, as Armenia received an influx of refugees because of Syria’s long running civil war.
According to the Ministry of the Diaspora, about 22,000 Syrian refugees have found refuge in Armenia since the start of the war. Through its various extension phases, the Diasporan housing assistance project has assisted hundreds of refugee families (including 50 extremely vulnerable families) receive rent subsidies with the aim at creating an interim safety net in their lives.
Now that the emergency response phase of the crisis has ended, the government of Armenia has initiated an integration strategy for the Syrians who have requested shelter in Armenia & received Armenian citizenship. The current ARP Housing assistance program is planned to extend assistance to its beneficiaries until June of 2018, after which only extremely vulnerable cases will be transferred to charities.
"Humanitarian aid is not a long-term solution. As actors of the Armenian Diaspora our timely intervention was aimed at supporting Armenia when it faced an influx of refugees. The government has since had time to develop its integration plan” Said Raffy Ardhaldjian. “Together with UNHCR, we are proud that we have prevented homelessness in Armenia and provided safe homes to hundreds of families to rebuild new lives”.
Besides direct housing benefits to refugees, the ARP’s efforts with the support of its donors & philanthropists were able to set up cooperation modalities with UNHCR Armenia, advocacy on behalf of refugees with government agencies & provide specialized training to social workers servicing Syrian refugees in Armenia.
Archbishop Hovnan Derderian, the Primate of the Western Diocese in Los Angeles, championed the cause of refugees & played a key role in rallying diasporan support in the large Armenian community of Southern California. “Although displacement is part of our common history, the diaspora’s mobilization today has prevented displacement from also being a part of our common future,” said Archbishop Derderian.
SARF, which raised millions to assist Syrian Armenian refugees, has been a strategic partner in the ARP since its formation. “These families, having left behind almost everything, were victims of a brutal war,
seeking shelter from indiscriminate bombing and unbearable living conditions in Syria. Staying behind was not an option for them. Helping them was not an option for us but rather a duty.” said Raffi Kendirjian, Chair of SARF.
The last phase of the ARP program in 2018 will continue to include housing assistance to dozens of refugee beneficiaries in addition to basic social services and be implemented in partnership with Oxfam & its affiliated Oxygen Foundation in Armenia.
The solution to the housing issue of Syrian-Armenians remains crucial, as it will contribute to the possibility of their permanent residence in Armenia. All eyes will be focused on the Ministry of the Diaspora in Armenia as it unfolds its long-awaited refugee integration strategy. The ARP and its partners hope that the Government of Armenia shall adequately address needs through a package of social, economic, health, housing and cultural policies to refugees in transit who long for a life of dignity.
About the Armenian Redwood Project (ARP)
Founded in 2014 and pioneered by the Ani & Narod Memorial Foundation, ARP is an action-oriented think tank & a non-profit social enterprise alliance among Diasporan Armenian philanthropists, NGOs & International aid organizations aimed at complementing the efforts of the Government of Armenia in improving the lives of Syrian refugees that have taken refuge in Armenia through affordable housing.
ARP has been acting on its values in Armenia through its operating partners in Armenia, Oxfam & Oxygen. As a humanitarian actor & a host country, Armenia is one of the world’s leading countries in terms of the ratio of welcomed migrants to its number of native inhabitants. Hundreds of Syrian refugee households in Armenia have not faced homelessness thanks to the efforts of the Ministry of the Diaspora, UNHCR and consortiums like the Armenian Redwood Project.
About SARF
Founded in 2012 in Los Angeles, the mission of the Syrian Armenian Relief Fund (SARF) is to provide financial assistance to Syrian Armenians who are victims of the ravaging Syrian civil war. Donations are solicited throughout the community in the United States, and the network of churches, organizations and charities which operate in the region.
SARF supports educational institutions, nutritional needs, essential housing repairs and health care throughout Syria. Armenians living inside Syria, specifically inside Aleppo, have been the primary recipients of assistance, however SARF has also teamed with the Armenian Redwood Project and OXFAM to provide housing rent subsidy to Syrian Armenian refugees who have fled to Armenia.
About the Western Diocese of the Armenian Church
The Western Diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Church is the spiritual home of Armenians living in the Western United States. The Diocese is an integral part of the Catholicosate of All Armenians in the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin and a member of the Orthodox family of Churches.
Established in 1927, and currently Headquartered in Burbank, California, the Western Diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Church of North America spans the Western United States, including Washington, Montana, Oregon, Idaho, Wyoming, California, Nevada, Utah, Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico, Hawaii, Alaska and newly annexed Mexico.
