DENVER -- A sign that says "welcome home" sits near the front door of a metro Denver apartment where an Afghan family will soon have a place to call their own.
The apartment will be home to a husband, wife and their young daughter. He worked as an interpreter for United States forces and fled the country just before the Taliban came into power.
"We really appreciate everything they’ve done working with the United States forces and we welcome them to Colorado," said Governor Jared Polis.
The International Rescue Committee and a team of volunteers spent the morning getting the apartment ready.
Gov. Polis stopped by to talk about their efforts to help refugees find homes in Colorado. He also helped put away some dishes and fold clothes for the family. He left a note for the family welcoming them to Colorado.
Earlier this week, the governor sent a letter to President Joe Biden saying Colorado stands ready to welcome refugees.
"We wanted to move quickly and obviously, right now, there’s an evacuation mission just to get people who helped us out," said Polis. "We want to make sure we can provide them with some sort of degree of safety here in the United States."
The International Rescue Committee has already worked with four evacuee families in Colorado and they're expecting to receive more. The organization has also heard from refugees who are already in Colorado but still have family members trying to flee Afghanistan.
"We’re trying to do as much as we possibly can to help people, and it's hard to hear your clients say, 'I have this brother and sister that are there at that airport.' And it’s just we do as much as we possibly can to make sure people are reunited and can see their families again," said Sarah Hanselin, Integration Casework Supervisor.