Announcement
In the wake of the June 30th knife attack, the IRC in Boise would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to everyone who has stepped forward to support the victims. The support is much needed and is quickly being put to good use:
- We are meeting with hospital representatives to evaluate medical bills, and determine what the relief to the families will be. Their medical care is still ongoing, so costs are still rising.
- The Executive Director of the IRC in Boise is meeting personally with each family that suffered an injury or death to listen to the priorities and feelings of each family, and to explain our priorities with the donated funds, which is to steward the funds responsibly to reserve as much as we can for anticipated additional medical expenses first, and other needs after that.
- Our partner mental health agencies Tidwell Social Work Services and Consulting and Brighter Future Health are organizing group mental health sessions to take place at the complex, supported by an Licensed Clinical Social Worker from the IRC.
- The IRC in Boise has issued financial support for bills and lost wages to families with physical injuries and families whose children were chased by the attacker. We will keep doing so as needed.
- Airbnb has donated all the temporary housing we’ve been using for families immediately relocated out of the complex for free, through a grant that they had extended to IRC before the attack happened.
- The management of Wylie Lane has been very supportive. They organized a Q&A forum for tenants with the police last week. They secured free moving services for injured families relocating. They have worked their networks to help tenants qualify for lower than market cost rent in other complexes.
- We've been on-site at the property constantly and are working with a coalition of organizations to make sure every family living in the complex gets a thorough assessment of needs, and then services that match those needs.
- IRC has re-assigned a staff member from Dallas to Boise to do nothing but Wylie support for the next three weeks full time, in addition to all the work of our Boise staff. This staff member’s time, as well as all IRC staff who are working now to support the victims will be paid by IRC, not out of the emergency relief fund.
- We coordinated logistics for the memorial service for Ruya, the three-year-old who was killed in the attack.
The IRC in Boise is certainly not the only organizations supporting Wylie residents. Through your generous donations we are taking the lead in paying for necessary services, particularly medical bills, housing, cash to families, child care for families whose injuries make child care difficult and more.
A number of other Boise organizations are also mobilizing support, including: Glocal Community Partners, coordinating volunteers to help with transportation needs for families; American Red Cross of Greater Idaho, providing logistical coordination between supporting agencies; Boise School District, providing support to school aged Wylie children and their peers; Agency for New Americans, supporting their refugee clients impacted by the attack; Islamic Center of Boise, visiting impacted families and ministering to them; Boise Police Department, hosting Q&A session with tenants and thoroughly investigating the crime; Jannus, Inc., Economic Opportunity unit identifying which refugee child care businesses can mobilize to support survivors' families; The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, for providing volunteers and in-kind goods; and the Roman Catholic Diocese of Boise, for supporting costs related to Ruya's memorial. And thank you to Saint Alphonsus Hospital and St. Lukes Health System for excellent care of all the injured families.
There is still much to do and donations to the emergency relief fund are still needed. Money raised will be used for services to the victims and their families who were physically injured or killed, and depending on need, to the refugee community impacted by the attack. The spending of the funds will be prioritized based on need, to medical bills, rehousing, lost wage replacement, child care for families rendered unable to care for children, mental health and other need-based services.
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