As thousands of Syrians flee the war-torn region, Quad City agencies are watching and waiting to see if any of those refugees will end up here.
Last week, the Obama administration announced plans to accept at least 10,000 more Syrian refugees in the coming fiscal year, which begins on October 1, 2015.
"We just have a really great opportunity to love and help people start new," said Amy Rowell, director of World Relief in Moline.
World Relief is the only agency in the Quad Cities that resettles refugees, and Rowell is hopeful that they may soon help some Syrian families.
"But we don't know what that looks like. We have no idea when that could be. As well as our regular number of refugees, we don't know that number yet either," said Rowell.
Every October, Congress and the President decide how many refugees the U.S. will accept and from which countries they will come. Last year, the U.S. capped its total number of refugees at 70,000.
World Relief resettled 200 of those refugees in the Quad Cities, most of them from Burma.
"Once they get to the United States, we do find safe, affordable housing for them," said Rowell. "We take them to doctors appointments, we enroll them in English class, we help them learn the bus system, we help them go grocery shopping for the first time, do their laundry. A lot of cultural adjustments."
Across the river, Lt. Gov. Kim Reynolds said Iowa is ready to help with the refugee crisis, as well.
"I think Iowa is known for welcoming refugees, and we would hope that they would keep the communication open and transparent and have us be more of a partner in that," said Reynolds.
Only about 1,500 Syrian refugees have been admitted to the U.S. since the start of the civil war in 2011.
World Relief is accepting donations of most household items for refugee families. For more information, call the office at 309-764-2279.