As dozens of organizations work to prepare Waterloo Region for the more than 1,000 Syrian refugees expected to arrive locally, one question looms large: Where will they live?
“That’s the biggest challenge for sure – finding the spaces where everyone’s going to stay,” Tara Bedard, manager of the Waterloo Region Immigration Partnership, said in an interview.
The federal government announced Tuesday that it does not expect to meet its self-imposed deadline of bringing 25,000 refugees into the country by the end of 2015.
Instead, Immigration and Refugees Minister John McCallum told reporters, about 10,000 refugees are expected to land by Dec. 31, with the rest arriving by the end of February.
“I’ve heard Canadians across this country saying ‘Yes, you have to do it right, and if it takes a little bit longer to do it right, then take the extra time,’” he said.
While the timeline may be pushed back, that doesn’t change the overall calculus for Waterloo Region, where about 850 refugees are expected to be sent through the federal government’s refugee program.
A further 300 or so are expected to arrive locally through private sponsorships.
For refugees brought into the area by the federal government, the first stop will be Reception House, where they will be housed for up to two weeks.
“During that time … they look at apartments and we try to get them settled,” said Reception House executive director Bert Lobe.
The government provides refugees with monetary allowances to be spent on shelter, food and other items.
The problem with that, Lobe says, is that the amount given for housing makes it difficult to find appropriate space in Waterloo Region.
Housing allowances under the federal program range from $450 per month for a single person to $877 for a family of six.
Childless couples are given about $690 per month, with a first child meaning an extra $50 or so, and a second child adding about $60 on top of that.
“We need to press the federal government to look at adjusting these rates upward,” Lobe said.
“These rates don’t enable you to go to the (housing) market and rent space.”
Reception House typically works with local landlords willing to make units available for below-market prices.
“For the 230 or 240 people we get a year, we have a good network to provide housing,” Lobe said.
Adding 850 more refugees to that total – even if, as expected, the arrive in small batches – will put an enormous strain on the current framework, he said.
And Reception House isn’t stopping its usual services to provide more attention to Syrian refugees, either – nine people are expected to arrive at its Kitchener location next week.
Lobe says all of those factors combine to make finding space for 850 refugees “a huge problem,” with agencies looking for virtually any usable space they can find.
“It’s a massive task, but there’s also a terrific network of folks … that are stepping up,” he said.
“We can get this done. It’s going to tax us, but we’ll get it done.”
Bedard says she’s hoping private property owners will offer up spaces for less than they would typically charge, but no such deals had been finalized as of Tuesday afternoon.
“Putting people in a big arena-type space on cots is really the last resort, but everybody’s prepared to go there if they have to,” she said.
After housing is found, the government pays for case workers to follow the refugees for one year and help them access schools, doctors and other services.
When taking in refugees, Canada is expected to prioritize full families, vulnerable women and members of the LGBTQ community.
The screening process will include “professional, personal interviews” and the “checking and rechecking of identification” at every step of the process,” Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale said at Tuesday’s press conference.
That screening will take place before the refugees arrive in communities like Waterloo Region.
With files from CTVNews.ca
