Prince Albert YWCA prepares to settle 210 refugees

“We are tasked, as part of our contract, with the settlement of the Syrian refugees who are destined for Prince Albert,” said Brooks. “We found out on Friday, we should be getting 210 Syrian refugees within the next six to eight weeks in P.A.”

Normally, only about 50 refugees settle in the community annually, according to Brooks.

“So as you can imagine, it is a fairly enormous undertaking,” she said. “However, we have been really proactive at getting things ready for the arrival.”

The settlement committee has been meeting daily, putting the pieces in place for when the refugees arrive.

First, they are focusing on organizing temporary accommodation.

“Normally when we have government sponsored refugees arrive at our temporary accommodation, the easiest, is to place them in hotels for a few days until we can move them to their apartments,” said Brooks. “So, we’re working on arranging that.”

She also said they are making contacts with landlords, arranging permanent accommodation.

In the next week, they’ll be setting up community meetings and making a list of volunteers who want to help out.

“We’ve had a really good response of people wanting to help,” said Brooks. “I’m hoping our community can pull together, similar to when we had our forest fires evacuations.”

Volunteers won’t have to house refugees, said Brooks, but instead can help them feel welcome in Canada by taking them grocery shopping and showing them around.

Brooks said their group is also responsible for helping the refugees with long term settlement. This includes helping them integrate into Canadian society, registering children for school and giving them English language assessments. If needed, they will set the families up in English classes.

If their English is good enough to enter the work force, the YWCA will link them to employment opportunities, or assist them in applying for jobs.

When it comes to concerns with security screening, Brooks said it’s all done before the refugees are admitted to the country.

“We keep being assured by our federal counterparts that they will be well screened,” said Brooks. “I do realize there’s a lot of fear and a lot of mixed emotions around this issue, but what I encourage the public to do is try their best, and I try to do the same thing myself, is try to educate themselves.

“Go online, read about the Syrian war, read about the Syrian refugees. The more the public can learn about the situation, the less fear they’ll have…It helps to alleviate that fear.”

While she’s not privy to the exact screening protocols, she said refugees are also assessed when it comes to their health before coming over. Once they’re here, they’re assessed once again and caught up on any vaccinations they may need.

Mayor Greg Dionne said he supports the team at the YWCA when it comes to the big job of settling the refugees.

“I’m pleased to hear the coordination is going to be done by the YWCA, because Donna Brooks and her team are very astute and very good at their job,” said Dionne. “I’m quite sure they’ll get it worked out.”

While he said he is concerned about having enough affordable housing, he supports the decision to bring 25,000 Syrians to Canada.

“We’re a country of immigrants. Personally, I also believe in the process,” said Dionne.

Dionne said he isn’t concerned about security, but hopes thorough health screening is done in order to keep foreign diseases from spreading.

So far Dionne said the city hasn’t been asked to take part in any of the organizational aspects, but if so, he’ll be happy to assist.

“I support the YWCA, and of course we have a great relationship with the (them),” said Dionne. “I’m quite sure if Donna brooks needs anything from the city that she’ll be calling my office.”

–With files from Khang Nguyen.

asoloducha@panow.com

On Twitter: alex_soloducha

by Alex Soloducha

Prince Albert YWCA prepares to settle 210 refugees

What's Trending