The Royal City Refugees Project is on the hunt for housing for a family of five from Syria.
A group of New West residents have banded together to sponsor a refugee family from Syria. The family, including a mother and father, a 17-year-old boy, a 15-year-old girl and a 12-year-old boy, could be arriving in New Westminster in late February.
“A group of us were talking about what we can do, given that we live in a safe country and in a pretty strong community, too,” said resident Vandy Britton. “We have very well-connected people so we actually thought we could do something that could make a difference.”
The residents met in mid-November, with one resident immediately offering to contribute the $27,000 needed to sponsor a family of five. Another resident approached her church, which agreed to be the sponsorship agreement holder – cutting through a lot of red tape for the group.
“We have temporary housing. It’s literally in the basement of one of the people in our group. She has quite a large space, but it doesn’t have a kitchen. It’s not a long-term solution,” Britton said. “We need to find a long-term solution – a two or three-bedroom place ideally that has a kitchen and obviously a washroom and the rest of it that’s manageable for a family of five.”
Other than the kids ages, the only other information the local residents have about the refugees is that they’re currently living in Jordan.
“They still have to go through the medical clearance in Jordan. They have completed their paperwork which is a huge piece of why it moved so quickly,” Britton said. “Because they have completed it and we have completed it now, they literally go for their interview, security clearance and the health test. Because they have been attached to us, it should move very fast.”
Once the family arrives, group members will be responsible for helping them settle in Canada – helping them open bank accounts, registering for school, helping with employment and language skills, taking them to the doctor or grocery shopping.
“We are really hoping somebody will come forward with something that will be manageable in New Westminster or just over the border in Burnaby, but ideally in New Westminster, so we can be really, really involved,” she said.
The group has drawn up a list of tasks, with residents volunteering to help out on a variety of different fronts once the family arrives. Anyone with accommodations or interest in helping the family can contact Britton at [email protected] or 778-868-7115.
You can contact Royal City Refugee Project on Facebook, Twitter or email [email protected].
