STORY AND PHOTOS BY KAREN BOSSICK

Christine DuFur and Cailin Chandler are quick to acknowledge that their bedrooms at home are larger than the footprint of the tiny house they want to build for Idaho refugees.

But, no matter, they say. It’s better than the shelters many of the refugees stay in while in refugee camps.

“And with the loft it, it should definitely be manageable for a small family,” said Chandler.

DuFur and Chandler are among a number of Community School students who want to build an environmentally friendly tiny house that can be used by clients of the CSI Refugee Center in Twin Falls.

The students in the Upper School’s Multicultural Literature and Environmental Science classes unveiled their plans during a fundraiser this week at the Limelight Hotel.

This is the first time a group of students have offered to build a home for Idaho refugees, said Tara McFarland, the center’s match grant coordinator.

“I don’t know anything about tiny houses, but I think it could be useful for a family that needs a place to live for six to eight months while they’re waiting for an apartment,” she added. “I’m very impressed and in awe of the ingenuity and drive of these students. When I was their age, we would have never thought of doing something like this.”

In the process of brainstorming the project, the students visited a tiny house sitting near St. Luke’s Wood River south of Ketchum.

“It was really cool,” said Bingham.

The students are trying to raise $5,000 to buy a 24-by-8-foot trailer, said student Charley Bingham. They will take the roof off and build lofts for the main bedroom and children’s bedroom on top of the trailer.  

The downstairs will be divided into a bathroom, living room and kitchen with storage space underneath the lofts.

“Not only do we want to build a home but we want to make it as environmentally friendly as we can with composting toilets, solar panels and a rain harvester,” said Bennett Snyder. “Being environmentally friendly costs more up front but we’re trying to do a good job.”

While contemplating the building, some of the students visited the Refugee Center, which has settled more than 2,500 refugees.

Ella Wolter who helped a 21-year-old refugee write such words as “cat” and dog.” And Bingham helped a young Syrian who was to study for her driver’s license test.

“There were definitely some things that were over her head. But we used our hands a lot and we understood each other that way,” he said.

The students also brought several of refugees from Twin Falls to the Limelight, feeding those who weren’t observing Ramadan with “tacos for New Americans” and trying to learn about the refugees and their families in their limited English.

They also offered “Advice for New Americans:”

”Anything is possible.”

“There is more good than bad.”

“Hope never dies.”

“It’s interesting because a lot–65.6 million people—are technically not refugees but, rather, classified as  forcibly displaced people. And there are 20 people who forcibly displaced in the world every minute,” said student Ella Wolter.  “The number of those classified as refugees is 22.5 million.

“Some of the refugees said Twin Falls is paradise compared to where they came from,” she added. “They said life here is so easy, no problem.”

United Nations representatives determine if people qualify as refugee  based on whether they’re forced to flee their home country due to war, persecution or natural disaster, said student Naia Drougas.

Refugees are interviewed by U.N. representatives, who then make a decision which ones are vulnerable enough to be resettled, she added.

If they’re to be resettled in the United States, representatives process their application and do background checks. The refugees then undergo an interview with an American official who asks such questions as why they would like to live in the United States.

Those who pass that interview get a second harder hitting interview that explores any political activist leanings followed up by  a third interview. They then undergo fingerprint screening, medical screening and checks by the FBI.

They’re matched with a resettlement agency, prepared for travel and they’re on their way.

“Imagine going to a new place where you don’t know the language and you know nothing about the culture and navigating this craziness that we call America,” said McFarland. “We’re the one-stop service that meets them at the airport.”

Housing is becoming an increasing problem because of the growth of factories like Chobani and Clif Bar in Twin Falls, she said.

“There’s not much housing and, even though wages are not growing in Twin Falls, the cost of housing is,” she added.

The students’ tiny house project has already gotten support from architects who volunteered to design a home and builders who have offered to help with the construction.

And WOW Generosity Project donated a thousand dollars to kick start the project.

The students will take up the hammer when school resumes next fall and hope to be finished with the home by the time the first semester is over.

To donate to the project go to https://bit.ly/1lC7ZCc or communityschool.org/give-to-cs/give-online.