Volunteers Fix Up Apartments For Refugees In North Jersey

NEW JERSEY — A New Jersey group that fixes up apartments for refugees seeking a new life in the United States is off to a fast start so far in 2023, its members say.

One World One Love NJ – which is based in Union County and counts several volunteers from Montclair among its ranks – prepared six apartments for refugees in January, giving a much-needed ray of hope to asylum seekers fleeing war, trauma or persecution abroad.

The group was founded in 2016, with the mission of transforming people’s lives with a “little elbow grease and a lot of love.” Its members scrub bathrooms, stock kitchens, set up furniture, make beds, lay out toys for children, and hang pictures and curtains – and they’ve developed a knack for it.

Over the past six years, volunteers have set up homes for more than 1,500 refugees from 18 countries, including Syria, Afghanistan, Sudan and El Salvador. In 2022, volunteers prepared 76 apartments in Union County and surrounding areas for more than 325 men, women and children.

Recently, One World One Love got a boost from a $5,000 grant from The Summit Foundation to assist with apartment setups for refugees resettling in Union County and the surrounding area. One World One Love managing director Jennifer Gill said the grant will go toward purchasing household items, such as bedding, kitchenware and other essentials.

“This grant from The Summit Foundation helps ensure that every refugee newcomer moves into a home that is clean, safe and fully-furnished,” she said. “We are grateful for its support, as well as for our more than 100 volunteers.”

In addition to apartment set-ups, One World One Love runs other programs that meet the practical and social needs of refugee newcomers. Its volunteers distribute bicycles, deliver diapers and baby essentials to refugee families with young children, provide employment support, offer community orientation, and other wrap-around services.

To learn more or to volunteer, visit www.oneworldonelovenj.org.

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