New America Media
Friday, October 21, 2011
Isse arrived in the United States in late April, hoping to live a contented life: an illusion people in third-world and developing countries have about America, she recalled.
After six months in the United States, Isse has yet to live that lifestyle. She lives in a one-bedroom apartment in Mary’s Place — a homeless shelter in north Minneapolis — with her daughter.
She is one of 39 homeless Somali families in the shelter, who, like Isse, have recently come from a refugee camp in Ethiopia. Isse lived there for more than 20 years.
The number of Somali families living in Mary’s Place has drastically increased in the past nine months, said Mary Jo Copeland, founder and director of Sharing & Caring Hands and Mary’s Place.
Six Somali families lived in Mary’s Place about a year ago. Before that, there had not been a homeless Somali family in the shelter, which was opened 16 years ago.
“They started coming just over a year ago. I’ve no explanation for it,” Copeland said. “They’re suffering. I can’t blame them. And I help them with what I can.”
Isse said her new life in America is full of stress and deprivation, blaming it on the language barrier.
“When I was in Ethiopia, people told me that anything is possible in the U.S.,” Isse said speaking in Somali. “Now, I find out that life in this country is tough, especially when you can’t speak English.”