This story was originally published by City Bureau on May 11, 2021, and is part of the How a Community Heals series.
Rooted in the same sense of community and belonging, at Casa Al-Fatiha immigrants find free community housing and support where they can process, rest, and heal from their experiences in immigration detention centers.
Martinez, the first of three asylum seekers to have stayed at Casa Al-Fatiha, left Honduras after being threatened as a student activist for his advocacy and journalism against narcotics trafficking and killings. A scar across the right side of his head is a reminder of the violence that would meet him if he returned.
Casa Al-Fatiha is working with different immigrant and refugee support groups such as ICDI and Organized Communities Against Deportations to connect asylum seekers with a sponsor and a place to stay.
Since Martinez has gone on his way from the house, new asylum seekers and a formerly incarcerated LGBTQ person are beginning to find a home there. Currently, there are three rooms available and organizers plan to offer more housing in the future. A newcomer from Mexico has been staying there and already feels at ease. Rye said she told them “it didn’t feel new, but like a home she’s been away from for a long time.” v
