She demanded to know why they hadn't brought blankets with them from China. The buildings have new roofs. Once-crumbling brick steps have been rebuilt. New windows are on the way to replace crumbling casings and sashes. The air-conditioning and heating systems are being rebuilt, and furnaces that weren't working are being replaced.
Every apartment gets a new refrigerator and stove.
The sky is orange and yellow in the painting on Manuel Cedeno's office wall in Brandermill. Green and red figures labor in the coffee fields below a brown mountain ridge. The thousands of newcomers who have arrived in Virginia from foreign lands during the past decade face barriers to success. Many can't speak English, and service providers, including hospitals, police departments and schools, are struggling to provide translators. The immigrants also crossed a cultural divide when they stepped into America that many have trouble overcoming.