Runta News-Seattle, WA
When it comes to serving the community, it needs more than just lip services. The real services must include wide varieties of menus such as social, health, and economic security. The Founder and Executive Director of Center for African Immigrants and Refugees Organization Abdikadir Bashir has always focused on the center of St. Cloud, next to a former Wells Fargo bank. In an interview he recently gave to Minnesota Public Radio, Bashir spoke in detail about his Vision and Plan for bustling cultural malls in three directions: a restaurant, a cafe, retail shops, a halal market, and a health clinic, all of which will benefit and serve immigrant communities, especially the East African immigrants who now call St. Cloud home. This initiative is part of a broader effort to provide Workforce Housing and essential services to those in need.
This busy hub is the heart of the recently arrived immigrant community in St. Cloud,” said Bashir proudly. The energetic executive director of CAIRO never underestimates the challenges, but with the help of $ 5 Million in State Funding , he is confident that this plan will succeed. The nearly 4-acre property on 33rd Avenue and Third Street North CAIRO bought last year will be transformed into a mixed-use development with commercial, office, and event space, along with 70 rental apartments. Most of the 70 apartments will have three or four bedrooms. Bashir said, “that space is crucial for larger immigrant families that often include six or more people, compared to the U.S. average of 2.5.” The project’s name comes from the Somali word “Isku-filan,” which means sufficient, whole or complete, reflecting the aim of providing adequate Workforce Housing for families.
The St. Cloud-based CAIRO provides services and support to immigrants and refugees that include education, health programs and workforce training. CAIRO’s journey has always been Creating Equitable Opportunities for All. Out of a community conversation, it has grown into a pillar of strength, advocacy, and support for those they serve. For more information, please visit https://cairomn.org/ to see the amazing programs it offers in both Oregon and Minnesota.
