Participating in a panel discussion Feb. 21 were, from the left, City Manager Steve Buck, Moon Nguany Machar, community wellness program coordinator for Maine Association for New Americans, Jen Davie, housing coordinator for York County Community Action, and Mufalo Chitam, executive director of Maine Immigrants’ Rights Coalition.
Photo: Lee Burnett
By Lee Burnett
The screening of a documentary film about Sanford’s experience resettling asylum seekers drew rapt attention, applause and some laughs on Friday, Feb. 21.
An audience of about 75 people gathered at Nasson Little Theatre to watch “I Come from Away Part 2,” a film produced by Emmy-award winner film maker Charles Stuart, which is also airing on Maine Public TV. Following the screening, a panel discussion was moderated by Moon Nguany Machar, the on-camera interviewer in the film. Joining her on the panel were City Manager Steve Buck, Jen Davie, housing coordinator for York County Community Action and Mufalo Chitam, executive director of Maine Immigrants’ Rights Coalition.
Some of the evening’s most poignant comments were about how participants were changed by the experience of resettling new arrivals from Angola and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Chitam said she was initially shocked to hear that 100 or so asylum seekers had descended on Sanford on a Friday afternoon in May 2023 when City Hall was closed.
“At first, I thought: Sanford? There’s nothing there!” she exclaimed to laughter in the room. Chitam soon became a regular participant and trusted guide in the mobilization of resources. Through that experience, she saw disparate agencies, organizations and volunteers pull together in a coordinated response. She now holds up Sanford as the model for other communities seeking to ease newcomers’ transition to life in a new country.
“Your best example of what integration looks like is Sanford,” she said.
Machar confessed that her initial reaction to the influx was a concern for newcomers’ safety and, turning to Buck in a gentle ribbing manner, said, “And you were enemy number one.” The two chuckled together. Machar said her concerns dissolved and her respect for Buck deepened as she came to see city officials in action.
Buck related that it was a young child that opened his eyes to the humanity of people at the center of the crisis. One day early on, his attention was drawn to an African child who was grooving to “Baby Shark,” which made him smile and realize how similar people are across cultures.
That first year, Buck said the city’s general assistance budget, the aid program of last resort for the needy, ballooned from $150,000 to $800,000 and more. The city postponed $600,000 in road repairs to cover the added expense. Since then, asylum seekers have gotten work permits and jobs and moved off the relief roles. Two years ago, about 75 percent of the GA budget went to asylum seekers. Now, its “flipped” and just about a third goes to them, he said.
New Mainers continue to arrive, swelling the population four-fold to about 400. Davie has managed to find housing for all of them, as well as for traditional unhoused people. And she notes, “not one eviction.” Volunteers continue to provide kitchen appliances, furnishings, car repairs, and other basic needs.
“We have an ongoing and constant dialog” among all the parties involved, said Buck.
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