The City of Hoboken, in conjunction with the Hoboken Relief Fund and the non-profit group Welcome Home Jersey City, has launched a “Rent for Refugees” program to provide housing for fleeing Ukrainians.
By John Heinis/Hudson County View
“In Hoboken, we know that being a good neighbor extends far beyond the borders of our Mile Square City. As such, together with Welcome Home and The Hoboken Relief Fund, the City of Hoboken is adopting the town of Bialystok, Poland, to provide Rent for Refugees, housing assistance for those who have fled war-torn Ukraine,” their page description says.
“By partnering directly with private charities on the ground in this border town, we can provide furnished apartments for refugees from Ukraine, who have left their homes with little more than the clothes they are wearing. A furnished apartment for five people is approximately $450 a month, and we have set a goal of renting ten apartments. Any amount helps. Please donate today!”
Resident Marla Decker came up with the concept after friends and family were attempting to get to Bialystok.
“I came up with the idea for this project because a friend of mine was trying to get help to her friends and family in Bialystok who themselves were in need of help in order to help the Ukrainian refugees,” she explained.
“I’ve been a resident of Hoboken for 19 years, and one of the best things about our city is how we can rally together and share the spirit of community and neighbors helping neighbors, and I knew that we had to harness the power of Hoboken to help.”
The campaign followed Hoboken’s Ukrainian flag-raising ceremony on Thursday, where over 100 residents, neighbors, Ukrainian-Americans, elected officials, and Hoboken Clergy Coalition members joined together to stand in solidarity with war-torn Ukraine and call for peace.
“It’s incumbent upon us to always remember that even though these horrific and tragic events are happening far away, it impacts us right here in Hoboken,” Mayor Ravi Bhalla said in a statement.
“We have an obligation as not just Americans, but as global citizens, to speak up and show our solidarity with the people of Ukraine. They are pleading for our help and we must act.”
