President Biden has ordered a reconstruction of U.S. infrastructure for taking in people who were forced to flee their country, and local refugee aid groups have to start over after years of austerity.

An important part of their job is to build ties with school districts where refugees will live. But changes in rent prices mean those districts might not be in the same parts of Phoenix as before.

“We don’t know that’s where housing will end up being. Affordable housing is a huge factor for not only refugees but of course anyone working in low-wage work,” said Connie Phillips, president and CEO of Lutheran Social Services of the Southwest.

Biden is also preparing to formally tell Congress that he plans to raise the yearly refugee resettlement ceiling to 125,000 in October.

To eventually reach his goal, local resettlement agencies also need things like pandemic safety plans, housing lined up and new staff who speak the right language.

“Employers. You know, we had depended a lot on the restaurant and hospitality industry,” Phillips said.

Service jobs in Arizona have been devoured by COVID-19. Phillips instead hopes refugees can get hired for manufacturing, health care and other essential-worker enterprises.

“We’ll have to be establishing those relationships,” she said.

Phillips estimated that results of U.S. policy to take in more refugees won’t start to be apparent in Arizona until the spring of 2022.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.