Catherine McGrath

Yuliia Voronevich, 35, and her 14-year-old son, Roman, go to the beach together every weekend. The weekly trips are a way for the mother-son duo to stay connected as Roman moves into his teenage years. The two rely on each other for support after fleeing Ukraine and seeking refuge in the United States last year.

Since arriving in Miami, Church World Service (CWS), a faith-based organization that provides pro bono services to refugees, has helped the two resettle in Kendall, Florida. Yuliia now works for CWS as a resettlement case manager giving back to the community that welcomed her and her son. Roman has become fluent in English and attends Glades Middle School in Sunset, Florida.

It has been over one year since Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022. More than 179,000 Ukrainians have been granted access to the United States since March 24, 2022, according to the Department of Homeland Security. Additionally, about 161,000 Ukrainians have been authorized to book flights to the United States through Biden’s “Uniting for Ukraine” program and more than 125,000 have successfully arrived.

Ukrainian refugees come to Florida with nothing but what they can carry in desperate need of support. They often don’t speak English and lack the proper documentation. Organizations like CWS and Jewish Community Service work with Ukrainian refugees to aid in the resettlement process. They offer resources ranging from legal assistance, housing assistance, career fairs, and English language courses.

Getting to the United States

“The war started suddenly and we found ourselves in great danger,” Yuliia said. “One day I woke up to the sound of bombs near my house, blaring sirens and constant missile attacks.”

Yuliia and Roman fled Ukraine three weeks after the initial invasion leaving behind a promising life they had built in Kyiv. The two left Ukraine with only some clothes and a laptop.

“The prospect of making my son a soldier did not appeal to me,” she said. “Really, we are a great nation, but I had to save my offspring.”

The two traveled to Poland by train slowly and without lights to avoid being targeted by Russian forces.

“Some nice people came to every room in this train and gave everyone a little bit of food or snacks to eat,” Roman said.

Once in Warsaw, Yuliia began making arrangements to come to the United States to be with her relatives.

“We were living by the airport. Every time we would hear the flights, it was like nervous syndrome, trauma, it’s noisy and difficult for us,” she said.

After a month of preparing travel authorizations for herself and her son, the two acquired visas and bought plane tickets to come to Miami. Yuliia and Roman were granted access to the United States under a two-year program called humanitarian parole but are hoping to stay longer.

On May 26, 2022 the two landed in their new home.

Starting a New Life

Getting to the United States is only part of a refugee’s journey. Upon arrival, there are many obstacles that newcomers must overcome to assimilate into American society.

“I left my previous peaceful and static life which I was for 34 years and moved to the United States to start building my life from scratch,” Yuliia said.

Refugees struggle to find housing, especially in Miami, as well as schooling, work and legal assistance. These struggles are exacerbated by the language barrier that often plagues Ukrainian refugees in the United States.

“I think it’s especially the language because they didn’t want to speak English. They just wanted to speak with me in Spanish at every governmental building,” she said. “However, we were able to settle thanks to the support of organizations like CWS and our own determination to succeed.”

CWS and their resettlement case managers helped Yuliia and her son in multiple ways. The two attended events hosted by CWS that helped Roman enroll in school and helped Yuliia learn English.

“Through CWS events, masterclasses and orientation programs, I was able to learn about many things I needed to do to get started here, especially with documents to change my drivers license and integrate into this life,” she said “I’m grateful for the supportive community that CWS provided as they helped me with my basic needs such as food and clothing.”

Carlos Naranjo, a resettlement program manager at CWS, helped Yuliia and other refugees settle in Miami. CWS is one of the largest resettlement agencies in the United States and is one of ten with a contract with the government. The organization operates in Broward, Palm Beach and Tampa as well as Miami. The Miami office has 25 employees while the wider organization employs more than 100.

“If the sponsor needs legal services, we do it or if they need any assistance or referrals for the community, help to apply for food stamps, Medicaid, or referrals for daycares, employment authorization application.”

These services are part of a program called preferred community gaps that is funded by the government. This is a 90-day service program that provides case management for Ukrainians.

CWS has resettled about 6,000 refugees in the Broward, Palm Beach and Miami areas. Another faith-based organization called Jewish Community Service (JCS) has assisted over 200 Ukrainian refugees specifically.

Miriam Singer, CEO and President of JCS, said that her organization provides case management and care coordination, food support, economic assistance, and community navigation.

“We enjoy a great deal of support from the broader community, individual donors and foundations who care very much about the successful navigation and integration of real refugees into the South Florida community,” Singer said.

When a Ukrainian family has been completely resettled the children are in school and have transitioned successfully into the school system. The children are either fluent in English or attend English courses. The family has stable housing conditions and are able to pay rent. The adults in the home are working and the family benefits from healthcare.

“There is an engagement piece that is so important to a feeling of welcoming and belonging,” Singer said. “Some of that can happen through faith-based spaces like churches, synagogues, and mosques. Other ways that that can happen is through PTA groups, neighbors and other refugees that have come from the same countries that have settled and stabilized.”

While JCS and CWS are faith-based organizations and provide referrals for religious accommodations, faith is not a prerequisite. These organizations assist refugees with a wide array of beliefs.

Yuliia said that the religious aspect of the organization had no significant impact on her resettlement process.

“They offered me opportunities to be of service to others, which was of great importance to me,” she said. “I’m proud to work with this wonderful, wonderful organization and to give back to others,” Yuliia said.

Staying in America or Returning Home

Roman said that the transition has been difficult for him. Attending a new school and making new friends is challenging because of the language barrier and cultural differences, he said.

“Sometimes people may not understand you quite good and misunderstand you when you want to say something else,” Roman said. “They might think you’re rude or something.”

He has made friends by adapting to the interests of his classmates.

“I got more friends just from hanging around with people, just like talking with them about something irrelevant like TikTok, memes, social media etc. because people here are more focused on something online. I just have to speak with them by their rules,” Roman said.

He finds more in common with his Cuban classmates as they understand the struggle of being forced to leave home.

“We can relate to them a little bit more than normal US citizens,” he said.

Roman remains in contact with friends and family in Ukraine through Discord to ensure their safety and cope with the trauma of the war. However, the seven-hour time difference makes it hard to stay in touch with them during the school year.

“I used to talk to my friends almost every weekend,” he said “A few of them are out of Ukraine but most of them are still living there.”

Roman said he feels sad and helpless when he sees news of Ukrainian casualties but is becoming desensitized to it over time.

“When time passes and you start doing your thing, you just get used to what happens and don’t really react,” he said.

Yuliia and Roman hope to go back to Ukraine when it is safe but want to avoid the draft.

“As a mother, it is important for me that my son stays here for at least five years. This will prevent him from being drafted into the military and give him more time to receive a centered education,” Yuliia said. “All of us are focused on safety as I’m doing everything for it.”

Despite this perpetual uncertainty, Roman dreams of being an attorney or a pilot. He does not know where he will attend college but will hopefully spend his high school years in the United States.