Community organizes to welcome refugees

Jonathan Davies | Nov 04, 2015

In the past few months, Canadians have been drawn into the gravity of the global refugee crisis through images and stories of tragedy and hardship, and reports of countries in Europe sealing their borders outright to the thousands fleeing war-plagued parts of Africa and the Middle East, while others drag their feet on the matter.

Meanwhile, groups of citizens such as Welcome Home Ministries – a three-parish Anglican partnership that includes St. James and St. John's Portsmouth in Kingston, and St. Paul's in Sydenham – have begun an ambitious effort to bring refugees to the region in a welcoming spirit.

Patti Black, chairperson for the group, explains that the project began thanks to the momentum of DOORS (Diocese of Ontario Refugee Support Group), a government-recognized sponsoring agreement holder, that has a number of years of experience helping to settle refugees in the region. DOORS held a meeting in Kingston on September 16 at St. James Church, hosting a turnout of 76 interested citizens from a broad range of faith groups. They had been expecting only about 20.

“The meeting had a great atmosphere. The interest was there,” notes Black, “[Welcome Home Ministries' work] moved quickly because DOORS was already set up.” Under DOORS' oversight, Welcome Home Ministries, called a “constituent group” in official jargon, has organized to do the legwork of securing resources – both financial and social – needed for helping to settle refugees.

Currently the group has a pool of a couple dozen volunteers contributing to five working groups covering a wide range of issues including housing; clothing and furniture acquisition; applications and registrations (for such things as banking, OHIP, and other government identification and services); budgeting and outreach, including promotions; and, finally, settlement support.

As refugees are received, volunteering priorities will expand to include the day-to-day matters of ESL classes, meals, and transportation to and from appointments. ISKA (Immigrant Services Kingston and Area) will also become involved in the process at that point for more specialized settlement services.

Their first sponsored family, set to arrive November 5, is a widowed 51-year-old Eritrean mother with her three daughters, who are currently in a refugee camp in Sudan. While little else is known of the family at this point, Black notes that the mother has two other daughters who left the camp to find work and were not seen again. The mother hopes they will be found and be able to join the family in Canada in the future.

Black anticipates that with the energy and excitement around this first family's arrival, there is a good chance more will follow, perhaps setting in motion a rolling settlement process. The Eritrean family will be settled in Kingston, but Black notes that Sydenham was also considered, and could be a potential settlement town for a future family.

The cost of sponsoring a single family runs at around $16,000, which covers six months of the family's living needs. The Canadian government provides another six months under its “Blended Visa Office-referred Program.” According to the Government of Canada's website, the goal of this program is to match 1,000 refugees with sponsors annually.

Most of Welcome Home Ministries' fundraising efforts to this point have happened within its parishes, but it is seeking to spread word to the greater public as funds will be needed on a continuing basis if they are to bring more families to the region. Anyone interested in getting more information can visit their Facebook page: www.facebook.com/Welcome.Home.Ministries.Frontenac.County