Federal officials have finalized an agreement to temporarily house Afghan refugees in the National Conference Center near the residential community of Lansdowne in Loudoun County, VA. The move, announced Thursday evening during a community meeting at the NCC, will be part of the second phase of “Operation Allies Welcome”.

The program will facilitate the housing of up to 1,000 people at the NCC each month while they wait to be placed in permanent homes throughout the United States.

“They just want a chance,” said Robert Fenton, a Department of Homeland Security representative for the program. “I hope that we can work together to be able to provide them that chance. We want to do this as a partnership. We want to do this to ensure as little impact as possible to your community.”

According to federal officials, the majority of those who will be housed are eligible for Special Immigrant Visas because they faced immediate danger under Taliban rule in Afghanistan after they or a family member supported the U.S. military. More than half of the evacuees housed at the NCC will be women and children. The facility would also provide mental health resources, recreational programs for youth, and English-as-a-second-language training.

While the program was slated to begin as early as Mar. 1, Fenton says that the arrival of families and individuals would be pushed back until the 8th, and will continue through September. The decision to delay came after opposition from some community members who said they were surprised when the contract was signed before their questions or comments could be addressed.

“This is a private piece of property and so we didn’t vote as a board on this,” said Loudoun County chair Phyllis Randall, who shared that she learned moments before the meeting that the contract had been signed. “This doesn’t go to referendum, this doesn’t go to board. This is an agreement between the NCC and the federal government.”

Among the concerns from community members was congestion from increased traffic – the NCC is located in a planned neighborhood near two schools, and federal officials will bus people into the facility once a week. But others shared that refugees could be a threat to public safety and national security, a claim which federal officials say is false as many individuals have been thoroughly vetted before arriving in the U.S.

For Dean Winslow, a retired colonel for the U.S. Air Force who served two tours of duty in Afghanistan, the resettlement program is about doing the right thing.

“I just feel so strongly as an American that we owe these people a debt of gratitude. Their lives are in imminent danger under Taliban rule in Afghanistan. And again, I believe strongly that we have a moral obligation to support them here in the United States.”

Other supporters of the resettlement program included Abdul Hadi Ebadi, a local business owner who immigrated to the U.S. from Afghanistan 30 years ago. Ebadi called on his neighbors to help new immigrants rather than fear them.

“They helped American armies in Afghanistan and they lost their life for American soldiers,” said Ebadi. “As an Afghan-American, I have to say please help these people. These people need help right now. That’s all I ask.”

Previously, Loudoun County Sheriff Michael Chapman expressed concerns over the rollout of the new resettlement facility, citing a lack of transparency from federal officials.

“As I have a responsibility for the safety and security of Loudoun’s citizens, I want to ensure that our community is aware of the concerns we have raised and the expectations we have from our partners with the federal government,” said Chapman in a statement last week.

Despite the initial lapse in communication, Pastor Michelle C. Thomas says the resettlement program is an opportunity for the Lansdowne community to lend out a hand to Afghans in need.

“As Christians, we believe in Matthew 25,” said Thomas, founder of Holy and Whole Life Changing Ministries near the facility. “That says when I was hungry, you fed me. When I was naked, you clothed me. When I was a stranger, you took me in… I’m excited that I’ll be able to welcome that stranger.”