Wardak Karimi at home in Shelburne with his three sons, from left, Yaseen, 11; Nekmal, 5; and Igrar, 8, on Saturday, November 2. His wife and two daughters are also part of the family. Photo by Glenn Russell/VTDiggerThey fled a home in war-torn Afghanistan. Now they are hoping to find a new one in Vermont.In a spotless living room, with neat clusters of grapes, oranges and nuts laid out on white platters, Wardak Karimi, 38, poured tea with a flourish from the curved spigot of an elaborate golden teapot.Nelofer Karimi, 34, was quiet that fall afternoon as her jovial husband refilled the dainty glass teacups. Translating from Pashto, Khalil Anwari, a program worker at the U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants, explained that resettlement has been an arduous journey for the couple and their five children.They are grateful to have found a three-bedroom rental in Shelburne, they love the community and their children are thriving at the local public school. But their dream is to be able to buy a house of their own in this new country.That’s hard to come by in the midst of a housing crisis — and all the more so for refugees who may face language barriers and lack knowledge of, or access to, services in a foreign land. To help bridge the gap, USCRI and the Champlain Housing Trust are signing an agreement this week to help Afghan refugees access potential paths to homeownership in Vermont.As part of the new partnership, the refugee organization has organized an introductory homebuyer session with translation support in Dari and Pashto that 14 Afghan families — including the Karimis — have already signed up for, Anwari said. The housing trust, meanwhile, has committed to making forms and materials about its housing programs available in multiple languages and working with financial institutions to develop a lending program that complies with Shariah, or Islamic law, which forbids interest-based lending.That will include, for instance, access and information about its homeownership equity program, which provides a $25,000 interest-free, forgivable loan to help homebuyers from marginalized communities access permanently affordable housing.Launched more than two years ago, the shared equity program has helped 31 people of color secure a permanently affordable home, according to Julie Curtin, director of homeownership at the trust. There are two homes currently available for eligible applicants, she said. The trust is also in the process of adding 26 new units to the mix, some of which will be part of the shared equity program.The partnership between USCRI and the trust aims to make it easier for eligible Afghan families to apply to the program. “We’re trying to level the playing field for everyone by helping improve access for those families,” Curtin said.Amila Merdzanovic, field office director at USCRI Vermont, called the initiative “a natural extension of our mission to empower refugees to thrive, not just survive, in their new communities,” in a press release. It acknowledges barriers to self-sufficiency the Afghan community faces, such as language, unfamiliar financial systems and the need for culturally compatible housing solutions, the release states.According to national refugee resettlement data, Vermont began accepting refugees from Afghanistan in 2022 and has since resettled 149 Afghans statewide. USCRI helps refugee families secure initial housing funds, Anwari said. As far as he knows, none of them own a home yet. “That is why we think that this will be a life changing partnership for our clients,” he said.Wardak Karimi serves tea for a guest at his home in Shelburne on Saturday, November 2. Photo by Glenn Russell/VTDiggerThe home they leftThe Karimis were among the thousands who were forced to flee Afghanistan after the Taliban regained control of the country in August 2021. Karimi, who, from his hometown in Jalalabad, had helped U.S. intelligence forces secure the area around the airport in Kabul during the upheaval, recounted telling his wife to be ready to leave with their five children at any time,“It was a dangerous time,” he said via translation. “Afghanistan was falling, province after province. I had not been able to go back to my house for a month and a half. So I had not seen my children or anyone.”One night, he called his family and said they had to get in a car and drive to Kabul with his father acting as the male elder to lead them through Taliban checkpoints to the capital city.As soon as he got clearance, the family boarded a plane for the United States. When they arrived in Vermont in early 2022, a Burlington host, via USCRI, allowed them to live in her house for a few months before they found a rental.Anwari translated from Pashto to describe the home they left behind.Imagine a very nice house in a green village — Jalalabad is known for its agricultural products — surrounded by fertile land. There was a beautiful garden inside, and they lived with extended family in a truly multigenerational situation.As a stray ribbon of afternoon light caught her eye, Nelofer suddenly spoke up.“It doesn’t matter if you’re going to paradise, she said. “It’s very hard to leave your home, your loved ones, and the life you knew to come into a new reality that feels like a mountain of burdens.”As for the family they left behind, it’s as if a part of their bodies that had been the same has now been separated, she said, quickly adding that it has been a blessing to find good neighbors and community in Shelburne.From behind a chair a little monster emerged — her son Ibrar, 8, in a gray monster mask. She gently chided him, and he ducked back down.At the back of the living room is a room done up Afghan style with bright red carpets and black and gold cushions lining the walls. It’s where they typically have tea, play cards or entertain friends. The Western-style living room, however, is the one you walk into. There is a long corridor leading to the bedrooms and bathroom — and a plain yard out back.‘I will not forget that time’While the Karimis now have stable housing in Vermont, that was not always the case. One of their previous landlords declined to extend their lease, initially leaving them only a day to find a new place, Wardak recounted.Wardak Karimi at home in Shelburne with his three sons, from left, Yaseen, 11; Nekmal, 5; and Igrar, 8, as they prepare to pose for a photograph on Saturday, November 2. His wife and two daughters are also part of the family. Photo by Glenn Russell/VTDiggerThere was a point, Nelofer said, when she thought they would all sleep on the side of the road. Thanks to help from their neighbors, the Shelburne Community School and USCRI, they managed to find temporary housing but the trauma of the experience remains. “Even in 100 years I will not forget that time,” Wardak said.   Some of the unique challenges the Karimis face include not having credit history, not knowing rental laws, and being taken advantage of by landlords who made demands such as requesting rent for a year in advance or raising the rent monthly, said Anwari.“That was blasphemous. Where would we get that amount of money?” Wardak said.The Karimis count themselves lucky to have landed on their feet — members of their school community and neighbors helped them find their current rental, and USCRI helped facilitate the lease signing last November. “When I say to you that we are grateful for Vermonters, I have truly experienced firsthand all our neighbors and members of the community, coming together, speaking to the landlord and allowing us to stay another month,” Nelofer said. At the time, Wardak had just started working odd jobs but the family basically had nothing, she said. When they rented their current home, the Karimis qualified for a federal housing voucher, which means they were only required to pay 30% of their income toward rent. But with his job responsibilities and income growing at Blodgette Ovens, where he now works, Wardak said they are required to pay more under the voucher.The couple recently got their driving licenses, have been learning English and are adjusting to life in Vermont. Sometimes they go to nearby Shelburne Farms — their English tutor Lucie Lehmann bought them a membership this year — and they go to the beach or on picnics with their children.“May God give Lucie 1,000 years to live,” said Nelofer, eliciting laughter.Lehmann, herself an immigrant from Switzerland, said she always feels for people who come to the U.S. and start life anew. Particularly so for Wardak, she said, because he worked for the Americans in Afghanistan.“I think we should show some gratitude to the people who risked their lives and had to leave their family and their culture. So I feel like it’s our responsibility to make sure that they are welcomed here.”While the Karimis are very content in Shelburne — and hope to remain in the town — they still dream for the ultimate stability of having their own home. Owning a house in Vermont would be like being king of the world, Wardak said with a laugh.Read the story on VTDigger here: An Afghan family aims for homeownership in Vermont — with help from a new partnership.