âThe first thing we say is, âWelcome home,ââ says Tiffany Landis, director of family services for the newly-launched Pittsburgh branch of No One Left Behind. âThatâs when the real work begins.â
No One Left Behind is a national nonprofit that connects Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) holders with housing, transportation and legal services. Since 2009, the United States has provided Afghan and Iraqi combat interpreters with SIVs in return for serving alongside American troops.
Now, thanks to the nonprofitâs efforts, these interpreters and their families are increasingly making new lives in Pittsburgh.
âItâs a key city at the moment. Weâre in a great place right now,â says Matthew Landis, who is Tiffanyâs husband, and serves as director. âWe have a lot of jobs coming in, and in many ways, Pittsburgh represents all the opportunity of America.â
Since 2013, No One Left Behind has been helping Americaâs wartime allies navigate the complexities of resettlement, from finding and furnishing a house, to getting a driverâs license and finding employment, to registering their children for school and sports. Because cultural differences and language barriers can compound an immigrant familyâs difficulties, Matthew says, the mission of No One Left Behind is âTo be the people that anyone would need when they move to a new city: someone to point the way.â
Matthew, Tiffany and a crew of volunteers act as âfirst friendsâ for newcomers, greeting them at the airport with American flags.
Interpreters and their families arrive with what the average family would take on a one-week vacation, she says. âThey each get one large bag and one carry-on, and kids under two years old donât even get that. So as you can imagine, thereâs a lot of need once they get here.â
No One Left Behind aims to meet those needs by stocking houses with donated food and furniture, providing information about bus routes and English classes, and helping families acclimate to American culture. Though there are plenty of difficulties, âItâs important to emphasize that these guys are the cream of the crop of Iraq and Afghanistan,â says Matthew. âThe families weâre bringing are incredibly talented.â
So far, he says, theyâve found a lot to love about Pittsburgh: reading at the Carnegie Library in Oakland, holding picnics in the parks, and learning to play baseball. âI delight in that, because they immediately feel that much more like Americans,â he says. âWe had a birthday party for one of their little girls at Schenley Plaza, and the kids are thrilled to have a space where they can run around and just be free.â
But what about the inevitable criticism â those who say we should focus on taking care of our own? Matthew, an Army veteran who served two tours in Iraq, doesnât hesitate. âThese guys are our own. They faced the same dangers. They carried the same rifles. They carried our troops to safety in the middle of firefights. I say this unequivocally: They are U.S. veterans. The only difference between them and me is that they were born there and I was born here.â
âEvery family we bring in requires at least four volunteers, and the national organization hopes to eventually bring a family a week to Pittsburgh,â says Matthew. âOf course, that means that weâre going to have to continue building our volunteer base and our financial capacity. We started with a seed grant from The Heinz Endowments, but after that, weâll be entirely self-sufficient â all of our money will come from fundraising and donations.â
Itâs a lot of work, he concedes. But he also knows itâs worth it â interpreters and their families face immense danger in their home countries. âThese men are heroes,â he says. âThey saved American lives time after time. Now weâre trying to do the same for them.â