The YWCA put on a barbecue Saturday to raise money for their settlement work (Michael Joel-Hansen/paNOW Staff)

By Michael Joel-Hansen

Newcomer settlement

Busy summer for YWCA

Aug 13, 2019 | 3:44 PM

This summer has been busy for YWCA Settlement Services.

The agency has been working to help settle a number of people who have been arriving from a number of different countries according to David Hambleton, volunteer and community connections coordinator with YWCA Settlement Services.

“We have quite a refugee influx coming this summer, but they’re coming from a number of different countries. We’ve got South Sudan, Somalia, Burma,” he said.

Along with those countries, Hambleton added they are still getting some people coming from Syria and the Middle East as well. Hambleton said generally the YWCA in Prince Albert gets around 55 refugees a year, a number which has already been surpassed this year.

“We’ve gotten like I said about 80 over the past two months and we’re expecting about another 60 over the next two to three months,” he said.

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If these numbers hold, Hambleton said they will be working with close to 200 people for the year.

To help with their efforts Tuesday afternoon, the YWCA held a barbecue outside the Co-op Food Store with all of the money raised going to support their re-settlement work. A local church contributed welcome bags for some families.

Welcome bags contain simple items such as toiletries, cleaning supplies and other basic household items which Hambleton said really help families out.

“We really wanted to thank the community for the donations,” he said.

Looking to the future, Hambleton said they could use donations of items like school supplies as the start of the school year draws closer.

The Abdikadir family who are originally from Somalia recieved some donated bags from St. Albans Cathedral (Submitted Photo/David Hambleton)

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MichaelJoel.Hansen@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @mjhskcdn