The Crisis Following the U.S. military withdrawal and the subsequent Taliban takeover in Afghanistan in 2021, hundreds of thousands of Afghan refugees — including many families with young children — resettled across the United States. A significant number of these newcomers have made their home in California, particularly in the East Bay.
Under Taliban rule, Afghan interpreters, journalists, government officials, and women’s rights advocates face serious threats, including targeted violence and repression. Freedoms of expression and education — especially for women and girls — have been drastically curtailed. For a deeper understanding, we invite you to read this New York Times article from January 7, 2022, featuring an interview with one of our Afghan board members.
Since 2021, approximately 200,000 Afghans have been evacuated to the United States. Many arrived with few resources and face numerous challenges, with language often one of the biggest barriers, alongside housing, employment, and cultural adjustment—factors that can contribute to isolation and mental health struggles. Women in particular often experience deep isolation, with limited access to English classes or critical support services.
Strengths, Contributions, and Aspirations Afghan newcomers bring immense strength, talent, and a spirit of resilience to communities across the United States. Many Afghans worked as interpreters with the U.S. military in Afghanistan, and continue to contribute their language and interpreting skills and cultural expertise to a variety of settings in the U.S. Afghan entrepreneurs are opening small businesses—such as home-based childcare, catering, tailoring, and retail ventures—creating opportunities and enriching local economies. Afghan women, in particular, are embracing new freedoms and contributing their skills in areas like driving, childcare, and hospitality, while pursuing education and career growth. Grounded in strong family and community values, Afghan newcomers are also deeply committed to giving back—volunteering, mentoring, and taking on leadership roles that strengthen and unite their communities. Looking ahead, they are building pathways to higher education, professional careers, and youth development, ensuring that future generations have even greater opportunities. Through their contributions and aspirations, Afghan Americans are helping to strengthen the bridge between Afghan and broader U.S. communities, fostering mutual understanding and shared growth.
Our Services Since 2021, BRFN has supported over 700 Afghan newcomers in their transition to life in the U.S. Our services aim to reduce barriers, promote self-sufficiency, and build on community strengths by providing culturally responsive support. We employ three Afghan case managers, all fluent in Dari and Pashto, as well as Farsi, Hindi, and Urdu. With lived experience of resettlement, they are uniquely positioned to offer empathetic and culturally attuned assistance.
Our services to the Afghan community include:
Public Benefits Assistance: Support with enrollment, renewals, and issue resolution for CalWORKs, Refugee Cash Assistance (RCA), Medi-Cal, CalFresh, General Assistance (GA), and Supplemental Security Income (SSI).
Vital Documents Help: Support with obtaining California ID or driver’s license, Social Security numbers, birth certificates, and I-94 forms.
Housing Support: Orientation to affordable housing options, assistance with applications, referrals for rental assistance, internet setup, and tenants’ rights education.
Education Access: Referrals and guidance for adult schools, ESL classes, computer literacy programs, community colleges, job training, tutoring, and school enrollment for children.
Educational Partnerships: Partnerships with local school districts to provide on-site school enrollment, tutoring, after-school programming, case management, health and wellness workshops, and community building support for Afghan students and families. Additionally, we provide workshops for educators on building more inclusive classrooms for Afghan students.
Health and Wellness Navigation: Enrollment in Medi-Cal or Covered California, assistance navigating the healthcare system, medical billing support, transportation to appointments, and mental health referrals.
Financial Literacy: Information and workshops on banking, budgeting, car insurance, credit, loans, taxes, and household financial planning.
Immigration Guidance: Referrals to legal service providers for asylum, green card, citizenship, family reunification, and work permit applications. Assistance with medical exams, biometrics appointments, translations, and interpretation.
Transportation Access: Support with public transit navigation, DMV services, and enrollment in online driver education classes in partnership with Refugee & Immigrant Transitions.
Cultural Orientation & Social Adjustment: Culturally informed support to promote community engagement, reduce isolation, and increase access to essential services.
Resource Navigation & Referrals: One-on-one support and group orientation sessions to help clients navigate complex systems and connect with trusted community resources.
Community Workshops: Culturally responsive workshops in native language on immigration rights, financial literacy, tenant rights, workforce development, and immigration pathways. Gender-specific sessions address sensitive topics such as reproductive health and gender-based violence awareness in culturally appropriate ways.
Current Challenges Under the current administration, immigrant communities nationwide are losing legal statuses and facing deportation. Afghan communities are now facing certain heightened risks, including:
Deportation Risk: Many Afghans who came to the US since 2021 came under a temporary two year status called Humanitarian Parole, which has now expired for many. Temporary Protected Status (TPS) served as a status extension for some of these individuals, but the administration has unfortunately ended TPS for Afghans as well, despite clear evidence that the situation in Afghanistan remains dangerous. This has caused many Afghans in the US to become undocumented overnight, leaving them at risk for deportation and not able to get jobs to support their families. BRFN provides linkages to legal services to provide our Afghan clients with the best possible legal solutions and to know their rights.
Lack of access to public benefits: Undocumented immigrants are not eligible for public benefits, unlike refugees or asylees – making Afghans who have lost their legal statuses at risk of poverty and in need of basic food, housing, and healthcare supplies. BRFN distributes essential items including groceries, household goods, bus passes, and more to the Afghan community.
Travel ban: Most recently in June 2025, a national travel ban was implemented, which includes Afghanistan. This means Afghans in the US now face indefinite pauses on visa processing for their families living abroad – resulting in years more of family separation. Mental health support is critical for the Afghan-American community at this time. Along with social navigation services, our case managers provide emotional support and mental health referrals.
Service cuts: Federally-funded refugee resettlement agencies have been severely cut across the country, leaving more newcomers of all backgrounds isolated and in need of services. BRFN has been absorbing many of the clients, including Afghans, who would otherwise be served by resettlement agencies – providing essential case management and navigation services.
BRFN is scaling up our services to meet the demands for Afghans in need of basic supplies, systems navigation, medical resources, mental health referrals, legal services, and rights education. You can support BRFN’s work with the Afghan community in the Bay Area by volunteering, donating in-kind supplies, or providing financial support. If you are an Afghan newcomer in need of support, please contact us for assistance.
Beyond meeting today’s needs, Afghan newcomers are building toward a brighter future—pursuing higher education, establishing careers, and creating opportunities for youth and families that will empower generations to come. Join us with your support -- together we can invest in this resilient community and collectively build a brighter future.
