Soon, there will be a first-of-its-kind refugee and immigrant hub in Mid-City.
On Saturday, hundreds of refugees, along with City leaders, got to see what the hub could look like for the very first time.
The refugees belong to the organization PANA, or the Partnership for the Advancement of New Americans, which helps refugees and immigrants find economic, social, and civil inclusion here in the U.S.
Ramla Sahid, Executive Director at PANA, said Saturday's big reveal came after 12 months of collaboration between the refugees and their architects.
Sahid said that without the refugee's input, the hub could not become a reality for future generations of refugees seeking asylum or looking to reunite with their families in San Diego.
"The community here today has been working with us over the last year to help shape that vision as a multi-racial organization," Sahid said. "You'll see folks from Burma and Thailand and Afghanistan and Syria, Somalia, Kenya."
The project for the hub is called RICH, an acronym for 'Refugee & Immigrant Cultural Hub'.
RICH will be a space for housing, offices, food, arts, wellness, gatherings, and more for the refugees.
The build for RICH comes after PANA purchased 2.2 acres of land in Mid-City San Diego in April of 2023.
RICH will be located around University Avenue and 54th Street, next to a green space connected to Chollas Creek.
Sahid said by design, the hub is going to be in Mid-City, where there's already a rich history of refugees finding a home in San Diego since the 1970s.
On Saturday, many refugees expressed excitement for the big reveal of the hub, as they saw its purpose for many different reasons.
For Abduladeaber Kasim, a student from East Africa, and Saliyo Usman, an interpreter for PANA also from East Africa, they said the hub was a sign of 'empowerment' to them.
To Mohammad Hussein from Afghanistan, who recently came to the U.S. from Indonesia, he said the hub will be a game-changer for refugees like himself who are looking for ways to send more help to the countries they've fled.
"I can stay safe, and a lot of refugees in Indonesia, we are facing a lot of problems, and we are not allowed to work, we are not allowed to study," Hussein said.
For Ahmed Abdullahi, a refugee from Ethiopia, he said this hub will become a great resource for his kids and his grandchildren.
"I know how important this is, and that's why I'm here," Abdullahi said.
