Afghan Family Finds Temporary Housing In Kirkwood

Julie Brown Patton | December 5, 2022

An Afghan refugee family of 11 arrived in St. Louis in January 2022. Their relocation journey was a bumpy, tortuous path — until they recently settled safely in Kirkwood.

Thanks to volunteers representing St. Louis regional nonprofits and community service centers — Christian Friends of New Americans, HumanKind STL, Circle Of Love STL, Kindness Begins With Me and JustServe — the Afghan family moved into a seven-bedroom, four-bathroom home in Kirkwood near Quan and Woodlawn avenues at the end of October.

“The family also was presented with a minivan,” said Jessica Bueler, founder and executive director of Welcome Neighbor STL.

Silver linings only came after the family faced daily challenges that left them constantly in touch-and-go dilemmas. They sought safety in St. Louis after the family’s patriarch, Isahnulla Isahn, worked with the U.S. Army during the war in Afghanistan.

A Rocky Start

The Isahn family evacuated Afghanistan in mid-April 2021 as the Taliban took control of the city. Isahnulla Isahn said he had no choice but to evacuate with his wife and nine children because the Taliban were killing any Afghan who allegedly assisted the U.S. military during the 20-year war period.

After evacuating, the family stayed at refugee camps and military bases in several countries before arriving in St. Louis in January 2022. Bueler said they were placed in an extended-stay hotel in Maryland Heights after International Institute of St. Louis representatives could not find housing for the family. During that hotel period, Bueler and others discovered the family’s children “simply fell through the cracks” and were not enrolled in school.

The family was moved to a house in the city of St. Louis on Feb. 23. After being there only three days, Isahnulla said a bullet came through the window and missed one of his daughters’ head by mere inches. They headed back to a hotel until April 14.