Gul Mohammad was homesick.
After helping the U.S. war mission in Afghanistan, he was able to get himself, his wife and four children out of the country and resettled in Connecticut as part of a special immigrant visa program in 2013.
He had a new home. And a new job.
But his community ― the one he grew up with, loved and relied on ― was gone.
He had a new home. He just didn’t feel home.
It took another journey to change that ― this time, to Erie, where Mohammad became one of the city’s first Afghan homeowners in 2024.
The move was a big commitment, but it reflected Mohammad’s faith in Erie. He found what he was looking for: a burgeoning Afghan community and a budding community center at the heart of it.
“This is the best community that I’ve seen in 12 years,” said Mohammad, 43.
From left, Gul Mohammad with friends Qesmat Gul and Badam Sahar, at Erie’s Afghan Community Center on Dec. 20, 2024.
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Out-of-state refugees flock to Erie
Mohammad’s story is not unique.
The Afghan Community Center in Erie, which launched a year ago at 4801 Peach St., has become a magnet for out-of-state Afghan refugees.
Saeed Taraky, president and CEO of the center, said of the 191 Afghan families living in Erie County, more than 27 came from other states because of the center.
“We call them ‘second migrants,’” Taraky said.
Families have relocated from Connecticut, New Jersey, Virginia, Maryland and Texas, among other states.
Their arrival, Taraky said, has been a testament to the center, which seeks to rekindle one of the most cherished aspects of Afghan culture: a sense of community.
Erie’s Afghan Community Center President and CEO Saeed Taraky, at head of table, holds a meeting at the center on Dec. 11, 2024.
“Part of the Afghan tradition is we need to get together,” Taraky said. “We speak the same language. We share the same culture. We pray here. We celebrate here. We mourn here.”
Erie’s center is the only Afghan community center in Pennsylvania.
While other U.S. cities have larger Afghan populations, Taraky said not all of them have community centers. And many cities are not as affordable as Erie.
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Center helps Afghans integrate ― and preserve culture
Taraky, 34, left Afghanistan for Erie in September 2022, not long after U.S. troops withdrew from the country. He helped launch Erie’s Afghan community center to help families integrate and thrive in their new home.
As a nonprofit, the center is eligible for grants. And in the past year, it secured grants for 25 new laptop computers, as well as courses on digital literacy, English as a second language and women’s health.
The center also connects families to job fairs.
Taraky said 22 Afghans in Erie will start jobs this year, including women.
“Women were not allowed to get employment back home,” he said. “Now, they’re seeking employment and the community center is assisting them.”
Saeed Taraky, president and CEO of Erie’s Afghan Community Center, talks about some of the photographs at the center on Dec. 11, 2024.
Taraky said the center also helps the community stay connected, both to each other and to their culture.
Families regularly visit the center to experience Afghanistan ― the food, the language, song and dance.
The community also has a WhatsApp group.
Taraky recalled how the community pitched together to help a family that had fallen behind in rent. Another time, the community rallied around a family that lost a son in a car accident and helped pay for the funeral.
For Afghans like Mohammad, the support system has been embraced.
“We are worry-free,” he said of his family. “Because if something happens to me, the community is here to support my family. The minute I call them to help, they will come.”
A year after opening the center, Taraky said he’s hoping more Erie residents visit and learn about Afghan culture. At the same time, he said, the Afghan community will aspire to contribute to Erie.
“Erie is our home now,” he said. “We are part of the community.”
A.J. Rao can be reached at arao@gannett.com. Follow him on X @ETNRao.
This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: Afghan Community Center help refuges make new US home in Erie