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Refugees Often Find Shelter In Pasco County
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Published: February 25, 2009
PORT RICHEY - The tired, the poor and the huddled masses yearning to breathe free often find the path of liberty leads to Pasco County.
About 80 to 100 refugees from around the globe migrate to Pasco each year, according to Sharon Barron. She's an outreach coordinator for Tampa-based Lutheran Services Florida. LSF provides free help through its Integration Assistance Services program.
LSF will hold an open house 5 - 7 p.m. tomorrow, Thursday, at its office at 6440 Ridge Road, Port Richey. Call 727-842-4000 for more information.
The refugees often come from intolerable conditions in their native lands, Barron explained. Some might have been living in temporary camps for several years, for instance. Victims of human trafficking might get a fresh start here as well.
The "hidden treasure" of a program helps all nationalities get oriented in their adopted county, Barron said.
Cubans seem to make up the largest group of current refugees, Barron observed. A decade ago, during the Balkans conflict, many Bosnians came here, she recalled.
In all that time Barron encountered only one person with a negative reaction about letting refugees come to Pasco.
Most residents here are "generous and kind hearted," Barron remarked. "We're all struggling with the economy. We believe everyone is entitled to help."
Most help for refugees comes through a federal grant for the Lutheran Services program. The Florida Department of Children and Families refugee services division handles the funds.
Refugees typically qualify for Medicaid and food stamps, Barron said. The Lutheran support program aims to help them with job hunting to "create economic self-sufficiency as soon as possible."
"Cultural adjustments" greet refugees. Many simple things Pasco residents take for granted might be "completely new concepts" for transplanted people. Debit cards and balancing checkbooks might be skills foreign to them, for instance.
"In this economic climate, and particularly for the refugee and disenfranchised, it is refreshing to see that an organization such as Lutheran Services Florida is providing a free, timely and relevant service to those in need," Barron wrote in a message.
"Our mission is to "provide healing, hope and help to people in need," Barron concluded.
Carl Orth can be reached at 727-815-1068 or corth@suncoastnews.com.
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