With the country opening to more refugees, the five-year-old Hyde Park Refugee Project is entering a new phase of its existence: a time of great expansion and a rapidly spreading web of partnerships. Their new goal, in tune with the Biden administration, is to multiply the number of families who come directly to Hyde Park after escaping desperate situations overseas.
So far, it’s been one family per year. With the draconian caps imposed by the Trump administration, there simply weren’t any more families to invite. But by 2024, HPRP may be welcoming three to five families per year.
“That’s our aspirational goal,” said founder Dorothy Pytel. Added co-director Lisa Jenschke, “We’ll probably have to fund a full-time person” to do administration and/or case management. “One of the biggest challenges right now is managing our volunteers. There are 150 in the database!”
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