Wayne County is working to aid refugees fleeing their war-torn countries for new lives in Michigan with a safe haven they are calling Freedom Village, officials announced Monday. The county is partnering with Wayne Metropolitan Community Action Agency, Samaritas and the city of Hamtramck to create the resettlement designed to provide refugees and immigrants with transitional affordable housing. Construction of three two-family homes to house six families on Faber in Hamtramck is underway and is expected to be completed by summer 2020, county officials said. The United States is on track to take in the fewest number of refugees in four decades, according to U.S. State Department data, and the steep decline is reflected overall in Michigan.
From fiscal year 2012 through 2018, Michigan was the fourth largest state in the country to accept refugees, behind Texas, California and New York. The number of refugees resettling in Michigan has declined 86% since fiscal year 2016. More than 600,000 foreign-born individuals live in Michigan, and of that, more than 70% live in southeast Michigan, according to the Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan. Earlier this month, Wayne County announced that was looking to build three two-family homes in Hamtramck to be used as transitional affordable housing for refugees and immigrants. Called Freedom Village, the project is a partnership between the county, Wayne Metropolitan Community Action Agency, Samaritas, and the city of Hamtramck.
