Ames, Iowa — Iowa State University researchers are studying challenges facing Ukrainian refugees who settle in Iowa and they hope to build an app that will help groups to identify housing for refugees in the future.
ISU civil engineering professor Cristina Poleacovschi wants to document the experiences of the refugees. She says stable housing is foundational to a refugee’s integration, but it’s not always readily available in the resettlement process.
She says the researchers will bring their work to policy-makers in hopes of improving conditions. ISU political science professor Scott Feinstein says the team will document what the refugees are going through in hopes of bringing their often-marginalized voice to the forefront.
He says the project will also explore how refugee arrivals shape our national identity.
