Las Vegas charity expects 20 Kosavars weekly

Thursday, April 22, 1999 | 12:03 p.m.

Melissa Leiper, administrative coordinator with Catholic Charities of Southern Nevada Migration and Refugee Services, said she expects most of the Kosovars coming into the area will be single men because they are better suited for the region's job market.

"I wish casino owners or human resources (officials) could help find jobs," Ms. Leiper said. "We need people to take them to doctor appointments; a lot of the refugees are sick. We'd like people to adopt a family if they can."

Ms. Leiper's organization has helped settle some 3,600 refugees in the area since January 1994. Nearly 2,300 of those are from Cuba, about half of whom came during the Guantanamo Bay crisis of 1995 and 1996.

It was difficult getting support at the time because the city knew little about the situation and there wasn't a great deal of sympathy for Cuban refugees, she said.

Ms. Leiper said she believes Las Vegans will be more sympathetic to the plight of the Kosovars, whose tragedy has been leading news accounts for weeks.

She is hoping apartment owners will forgo long-term lease agreements, which would increase the refugees' chances at getting housing quickly.

The valley office coordinates with U.S. Catholic Charities in Washington, D.C., and the federal government on resettlement. Las Vegas is a popular community for refugees because the job market is better than other major cities such as New York and Chicago, Ms. Leiper said.