Manhattan Area Resettlement Team shifts focus, finds new home near downtown

Big changes are coming for the Manhattan Area Resettlement Team.

The nonprofit organization, founded in late 2021, as a local effort to resettle some 200 Afghan refugees into the community, has shifted its focus to help receive refugees from any country. This past spring, the organization rebranded from the Manhattan Afghan Resettlement Team, to the Manhattan Area Resettlement Team, to broaden its scope and serve a wider range of individuals in need or resettlement assistance.

MART President Susan Adamchak says the goal is fully integrating these individuals into the community.

Idrees Khalil, a client of MART, was one of the many Afghans who resettled in Manhattan. Originally from Kabul, Khalil worked as an interpreter with American forces. He arrived in Manhattan in January 2022 and says MART has been a big help to his family and many others in the community.

Most of the resettled refugees have full time jobs, but a big need continues to be transportation. Many also continue to face challenges with language barriers and getting connected to mental health resources.

In recent months, MART hired an executive director, Ana Mendonca, a Brazilian native with a doctorate in education from Kansas State University. MART founder and Manhattan Housing Authority Executive Director Aaron Estabrook says the organization also has acquired the historic Damon Runyon House at 400 Osage as its new headquarters.

MART is also planning to launch a $200,000 fundraising campaign to assist with continued resettlement of Afghan refugees and to offset the costs of transforming the Runyon House. For more information, visit allieswelcome.com.