Furniture maker Vasyl Rosokha came to Oregon last summer with his wife and two daughters.
When the war started, Rosokha had just left Ukraine to work in Slovakia, where he could make three times his salary. Being outside the country meant Rosokha avoided the requirement that Ukrainian men between 18 and 65 remain as Russia invaded.
The family met him in Slovakia, drove across Europe to Portugal, then flew to Oregon.
Speaking through an interpreter with Oregon鈥檚 , or IRCO, he said they left because he was worried something might happen to the family.
They arrived in Portland with just $1,800 in cash. But they were also sponsored by Rosokha鈥檚 wife鈥檚 cousin, Nataliya Smith.
Under the federal government鈥檚 , people fleeing the war can stay in the United States on what is called immigration parole, for two years, so long as they have the financial support of a sponsoring family.
In practical terms, that meant the Rosokhas moved into the Smith family home in North Plains.
鈥淚t鈥檚 my husband and I and our four kids. They are a family of four as well,鈥� Smith said. 鈥淚t just got super busy.鈥�
Smith arrived from Ukraine when she was 7. She said the first challenge for refugees is to find work and a place to live.
The Rosokhas got jobs quickly as attendants at a North Plains gas station.
But like many Oregonians in the midst of a housing crisis, securing a place to live seemed almost impossible.
They found an apartment in Hillsboro renting for $1,900 a month. But they didn鈥檛 make enough to qualify. In the end, Smith鈥檚 husband put his name on the lease.
鈥淭heir number one priority is to pay rent,鈥� Smith said. 鈥淚 just trust them that much.鈥�
The Rosokhas were lucky. It鈥檚 very difficult for most refugees to find someone willing to sign their lease.
That鈥檚 why, as the first anniversary of the war in Ukraine passes, Oregon legislators are considering a bill to make it easier for Ukrainian refugees to settle.
would prohibit landlords from denying a rental application from a Ukrainian refugee for financial reasons.
鈥淭hey don鈥檛 have a credit history,鈥� said Nelli Salvador, who directs IRCO鈥檚 center for . 鈥淭here鈥檚 no way they can check their ability to pay.鈥�
In other words, Salvador said, the bill would mean Ukrainian refugees like the Rosokhas would not have to find someone to cosign a rental application or a lease.
鈥淚 think for the newcomers we should give them a chance to establish their life,鈥� Salvador said. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e not coming to just sit down and do nothing.鈥�
The is monitoring the bill, but so far has not taken a position.
In addition to waiving the requirement for a cosigner, the new bill would also waive the $40 fee for Ukrainian refugees when applying for a driving license so long as they already hold a valid Ukrainian license.
Salvador said avoiding even small fees can make a difference to someone new to the United States.
鈥淚f you have five people in a family, so it鈥檚 easily $200,鈥� she said.
Salvador is a refugee herself. She came from Uzbekistan 23 years ago and now helps other refugees settle.
Just about everything she knew about the states before arriving came from soap operas like 鈥淪anta Barbara.鈥� So she understands why many refugees arrive with unrealistic expectations.
鈥淧eople think coming to the United States everything is easy. And everything is given to you,鈥� she said. 鈥淏ut in reality, you need to do step-by-step to establish your life in the United States.鈥�
Back in Hillsboro, Vasyl Rosokha and his family have spent the last seven months settling in. He has already found a better job, installing fire sprinklers. His two daughters are doing well in school, and he鈥檚 bought an old Toyota.
鈥淚 like it very much here,鈥� he said. 鈥淏ecause like everything, the big cars, the roads, the road signs and the people. How people greet you and smile at you.鈥�
Rosokha鈥檚 sponsor, Nataliya Smith, doesn鈥檛 think many Ukrainian refugees will return. 鈥淚 think a lot of people want to stay,鈥� she said.
鈥淲e have some family members who are hoping to go back. But I doubt it will happen because once you get a taste of, I鈥檒l say, 鈥榯he good life,鈥� it鈥檚 hard in Ukraine.鈥�
An estimated 6 million people are thought to have been displaced by the war in Ukraine.
So far, 4,500 refugees have come to Oregon since the war began, effectively quadrupling the local Ukrainian population.
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