Ascension Refugee Working Group

How did we get here? Below is the story of how we became connected to the Qayat family. In fall 2015, the Church of the Ascension, a small Anglican parish in Ottawa, was moved by the Syrian refugee situation to sponsor a family. Within weeks we had raised $25K to sponsor a four-member family who arrived in February 2016, in the midst of a snow storm. The family spoke only Arabic, but knew the word "welcome." We were all smitten. But we needed an interpreter to interact with t...hem and to help them access the services they needed. Enter Arafa, an incredible young woman, a refugee herself, from Somalia. Arafa devoted countless hours to being the family's interpreter, and eventually became their friend. And ours. We knew Arafa's story, and we knew she still had family, exiled from Somalia, but who were not yet safe. Arafa's generosity is astounding and we could not help but want to offer our own generosity back. So we discussed among the group and realized that we could pull together enough resources - financial and personal - to sponsor a part of her family. The paperwork was intense and at times confusing. The wait has been both short and long. We learned a few weeks ago that the family had received their visas and they would be arriving within a few weeks. We found out today that their flights are booked and they will arrive mid-December. We will be welcoming Arafa's brother, his wife and their two children, along with his teenaged orphaned brother-in-law. The five family members will make their way here to a new life.

We have just learned that the family is arriving on December 18! Our greatest immediate need is furniture and household goods. Check out what we need: there's a Google Doc for that! This list is up to date with the items that have not yet been offered: https://docs.google.com//1QYFuZVT6oIAJqBCx2dyusHcK1S/edit... If you would like to offer one or more items, please message us. (We have found housing! more news in the next post!) Please share this post with your friends.

With the Qayat family arriving in the coming weeks, our most urgent need is to find housing. The criteria are simple enough: three bedrooms, clean and safe, within reasonable distance from their sister’s home, affordable. But it’s not so simple, of course. Rental property prices in Ottawa have risen quickly in the last year or two. We are looking at more having to plan for at least $150 more per month than anticipated. That’s $1800 more over the sponsorship year. Affordable housing is a very real problem in many of Canada’s cities, for newcomers and Canadians alike. The housing subgroup is working hard to find something for January. Keep us in your thoughts and prayers. And if you have leads in the Merivale area, please send us a private message!

Today, the core group met to begin the intense work of coordinating and preparing for the arrival and settlement of the Qayat family. Lots of work goes into welcoming refugees. We have to find affordable housing and supply the home with furniture and household goods. We will need to find doctors, a dentist, and other medical practitioners. We will enroll the children in school and the parents into ESL classes. We will orient them to life in Canada, which includes everything f...rom banking and grocery shopping to visiting museums and sledding. We will support them financially for their first year in Canada. And it truly takes a village. The seven of us can’t do it all. We’re looking for folks who can commit anything from a couple of hours one time to regularly volunteering. Weekdays, evenings, weekends. In person or from home. If you want to help, let us know what kind of commitment you can make and what interests you, and we will find a job for you! Send us a private message. We look forward to sharing the amazing blessing of welcoming a new family to Canada! #refugees #welcome #volunteer #ottawa

The committee is at it again. We are sponsoring a Somali family of five. After two years of planning and paperwork and waiting, we have heard that the family is likely to arrive in 2-4 months. We are gearing up to welcome this family to Canada! Stay tuned for details and ways you can help! #refugees #ottawa #welcome