In The News

RAA & the Community

The article about RAA in this special edition of Gables Living tells the story of how a small, grassroots community volunteer organization grew out of Coral Gables into a South Florida non profit.

Afghans' American Dream Clashes With Housing Crisis

Read this insightful article published in two parts by Law 360 for which Kristen Bloom, RAA’s President and Founder was interviewed. Law 360 Article-Part 1 / Law 360 Article-Part 2

Forgotten Refugees: Recent Afghan Arrivals Struggle to Build a New Life in Miami

Jamie Scotti-Everett, our Executive Director, was interviewed by the Miami New Times. Read the article here .

Landlords Help Ease Refugee Housing Crisis By Bending The Rules

RAA President and Founder, Kristen Bloom, was interviewed for an article that came out in 9/22 about the complex and complicated housing crisis as it relates to refugees.

Helping Refugees Settle in the US

Our founder, Kristen Bloom, was featured in FAWCO Inspiring Women. Check it out on page 7.

Welcoming Syrian, Afghan, and other Refugees to South Florida

Check out Kristen, our founder on this past panel. The World Affairs Council of Miami with partners, the International Rescue Committee (IRC), The Refugee Assistance Alliance and Global Ties Miami, presents a dialogue during Welcoming Week, a program of Welcoming America, about the efforts to assist and welcome refugees.

South Florida to welcome hundreds of Afghan refugees

The State of Florida is set to become a safe haven of sorts for a large group of refugees fleeing Afghanistan. Kristen Bloom is the Founder and Executive Director of Refugee Assistance Alliance.

“We will see some refugees from Afghanistan coming to South Florida. We are trying to beef up our services because we know this huge influx is coming,” Bloom said.

Refugee Assistance Alliance helps refugee families once they are in place in South Florida.Read more here

5 Reasons Why CBOs are Critical to Rebuilding the Refugee Resettlement Program

The Biden-Harris Administration Must Pay Attention to Community-Based Organizations to Rebuild Our Refugee Resettlement Program

Kristen Bloom in Hello Neighbor Network

We are in the worst refugee crisis in world history. More than 80 million people worldwide, or have been forced to flee their home due to war, violence, persecution, and human rights violations. To put that number in perspective, 20 people are newly displaced every minute. Refugees make up 26 million of those who are displaced around the world. Less than 1% of refugees worldwide are offered resettlement. Continue reading

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Meet Kristen Bloom | Executive Director, Mom, Air Force Spouse

We had the good fortune of connecting with Kristen Bloom and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Kristen, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?

In early 2017, a friend invited me to attend a Syrian Supper Club dinner. At the dinner I was surrounded by people who wanted to extend a warm welcome to the newly arrived Syrian refugees in our community, and I immediately felt at home among the people in attendance. The refugees who cooked the meal that night said they really needed help learning English. I have a lot of experience teaching English as a Second Language, so I quickly volunteered. Read more at Shoutoutmiami.org

Kristen Bloom of Refugee Assistance Alliance: For Refugees in South Florida, A Helping Hand

With nine moves in just the last 15 years – to places as vastly different as Japan and Alabama – Kristen Bloom knows something about dislocation. So when she and her family landed in South Florida in 2017, and she came to know people within the Syrian refugee community there – and became familiar with their struggles adjusting to new lives and realities – it was natural her connection and sensitivity would move her to do something. Read more at TheGoodPeopleFund.org

How One Grassroots Organization is Meeting Pandemic-Driven School Challenges for Refugees
The coronavirus pandemic started off with a bang, leaving parents everywhere scrambling to figure out how to work while having their kids suddenly at home, how to navigate endless virtual learning programs, and how to keep their families safe as the information unfolded.

Providing a Helping Hand to the Newest Refugees - Op Ed in The Miami Herald

https://www.pressreader.com/usa/miami-herald/20201006/281663962467278?mc_cid=921eac98ed&mc_eid=d6d567e75c)

Restoring Dignity to Our Newest Refugee Neighbors
This is the second in our series featuring nonprofit leaders who offer an informed perspective on the current refugee crisis, immigration and refugee resettlement, voter education, and the effect of the pandemic on the lives of black women survivors of domestic abuse. Kristen Bloom is the founder and Executive Director of Refugee Assistance Alliance.

Meet the Network of Women Leaders Supporting Refugees Post-Resettlement
Meet the eight founding members of the Hello Neighbor Network, leading women from the grassroots Network bios and Q&A by Jordan Chepke In its inaugural year, the Hello Neighbor Network kicked off with eight incredible women leaders from across the nation coming together to share resources, ideas, and learn alongside one another.

The Hello Neighbor Network: A United Front Combating Polarization
As the global refugee crisis has increased, the United States has begun to strongly debate immigration policies and the arrival of immigrants and refugees in our country. The U.S. travel ban, separation of children from their families at the U.S. border and overcrowded immigration detention centers have all increased the attention and heated debate surrounding this issue.

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MiamiView Women with Kirsten Bloom

Kristen is the Founder and Executive Director of Refugee Assistance Alliance, which underserved refugees find the practical and language support they need to navigate life in their new homeland.

In the 2020 Summer issue of FORUM we'll take readers on a kaleidoscopic history tour of films shot in our state, and a look, by NPR television critic Eric Deggans, at how TV series have shaped the Sunshine State's image.

This Is Home: A Sunshine State Refugee Story: Documentary shines light on what it means to put down new roots , a world away.

RAA was recently featured in a magazine article in FORUM, which is a magazine of Florida Humanities Council. The article covers our February film screening at FIU, where one of our clients, Rajaa, talked on the panel. Page 11. Enjoy!

Meet Kristen Bloom of Refugee Assistance Alliance in Coral Gables
Today we'd like to introduce you to Kristen Bloom. Thanks for sharing your story with us Kristen. So, let's start at the beginning and we can move on from there. I grew up in a small town in Massachusetts. I never moved a day in my life until the day I left for college in [...]