17 Afghan refugees expected to arrive in Knoxville in a matter of days

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WVLT) - Last week President Biden announced that 415 Afghan refugees will be coming to Tennessee. Now, Bridge Refugee Services in Knoxville said they’ve had 17 refugees approved to come to East Tennessee in a matter of days.

“From now until the beginning of October, we expect people can arrive soon,” said Bridge’s Executive Director Drocella Mugorwera.

Mugorwera said those refugees are staying in military camps across the country before they ultimately come to the Volunteer State. She said that Bridge is still in need of financial donations as well as household items like furniture, bedding, and gift cards for food.

For Bridge’s Executive Director, the best part of the job is finding places for people to live and getting them started in a new life. They are also looking for volunteers to help house these refugees. Mugorwera said they have a family of nine coming to Knoxville and need a four to five bedroom apartment or house for them to live in.

To donate or volunteer to help, you can go to their donate tab on their website.