Finding accommodation for Syrian refugees coming to the capital region is a key concern for the Inter-Cultural Association of Greater Victoria.
So far, 24 Syrian refugees — three families and an individual — have arrived through private-sponsorship groups, said ICA executive director Jean McRae.
“Housing is probably going to be the biggest issue that we’re facing,” she said.
It was certainly an issue for a private-sponsorship group, the Victoria Refugee Initiative, organized through the Anglican Diocese of B.C., said member Doug MacDonald. With the group expecting a refugee family of five within days, housing has only just been finalized, he said.
“We had a place lined up and it fell through at the last minute, and then all of a sudden everything fell together,” MacDonald said. “We got a really lovely place for them. We’re very much relieved.”
McRae said the ICA has 34 private-sponsorship groups in place to help refugees. “So there will definitely be more refugees coming in, but we still don’t have any arrival dates at this point.”
Private-sponsorship groups raise money to support their refugees for a year, which can be up to $50,000 for a large family, McRae said.
So far, there has been little warning of when refugees are coming, she said. “We’ve had between zero and 74 hours’ notice of arrival.” The zero notice came at 10 minutes to midnight on New Year’s Eve, when she was contacted by the Canada Border Services Agency about a refugee’s arrival at the airport.
McRae said people are doing their best to deal with the situation. “I know that everybody’s trying to get the information out.”
The federal government is working to bring 25,000 Syrian refugees to Canada by the end of February.
McRae estimates the region will see 150 to 200 Syrian refugees through private sponsorship by the end of the year.
She said the number of refugees coming here could be higher if government-assisted refugees are added to the mix. Those are refugees who are not attached to a sponsoring group and are selected by the government on the basis of vulnerability.
The community continues to get behind efforts to help refugees, McRae said.
“We’re still getting donations,” she said. “We did sponsorship training for constituent groups on the weekend and we had about 80 people at it, all very enthusiastic.”
The ICA would like to hear from anyone who can offer housing for refugees. Contact the ICA via icavictoria.org.
