In Vermont, A New Resettlement Community Prepares For The Arrival Of Refugees

Residents of Rutland, an aging, blue-collar town of 16,000 people, are deeply divided over the plan to resettle Syrian refugees there. Photo by Ryan Caron King / NENC

Next month, a mix of Syrian and Iraqi refugees will begin arriving in Rutland, Vermont. They’ll be the first of 100 that will be resettled there over the next year. Though there’s been loud opposition to the plan in the aging, blue-collar city of 16,000, proponents remain optimistic — and many have been volunteering long hours to ensure the plan succeeds.

For example, on a recent Thursday night, Rutland’s Unitarian Universalist church was filled with the sound of Arabic.

It’s not a language you hear much in Rutland. There are few Muslims in the city, no Middle Eastern restaurants and no mosques tucked between the many churches.

Visit VPR for the full story.  This report is part three of a four-part New England News Collaborative series called “Facing Change.”