Revel not a viable option for Syrian refugees, says man in charge of relocation

The man in charge of settling Syrian refugees in New Jersey says that a proposal by the owner of the Revel Casino to house them there is probably not an option. Mahmoud Mahmoud, director of the Church

News 12 Staff

Nov 11, 2015, 8:46 AM

Updated 3,228 days ago

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The man in charge of settling Syrian refugees in New Jersey says that a proposal by the owner of the Revel Casino to house them there is probably not an option.
Mahmoud Mahmoud, director of the Church World Service in Jersey City, says that it is a matter of geography. He says that Revel is just too far away and there is a process for resettling refugees.
Church World Services has received donations and support for its efforts to relocate Syrians fleeing the war. Mahmoud says that it is important to keep the refugees close to the Church World Services headquarters.
"There's core services that we actually have to provide, which is a contractual agreement we have with the Department of State," says Mahmoud. "There's a bunch of follow ups, such as enrolling the children into schools, providing ESL services to the adults, finding jobs for the individuals, taking them to a local doctor and surrounding them in a community that will embrace them."
Mahmoud says that he has developed relationships with landlords in Jersey City and the surrounding area so that he can find each family its own home.