Massive influx has Calgary charity seeking one-month homes for Ukrainian refugees
Trying to find housing for all Ukrainian evacuees coming to Canada is becoming a problem.
More than 130,000 Ukrainians have arrived in the country through the Canada-Ukraine Authorization for Emergency Travel (CUAET) program.
This allows Ukrainians and their immediate family members to stay in Canada as temporary residents for up to three years.
They are also eligible for an open work permit or study permit to help in their transition.
And because of the housing shortage, the Centre for Newcomers launched a campaign aimed at finding individuals or families to host Ukrainian evacuees on Wednesday morning.
"We're in a desperate, dire need at the moment for host homes to try to accommodate the evacuees coming from Ukraine," said Kelly Ernst, chief program officer for the Centre for Newcomers.
"So it's reaching the proportions of being a crisis moment."
Ernst says the shortage is caused by many people moving to Calgary because of lower rental rates compared to other big cities like Vancouver and Toronto.
The organization says all it takes is for the host to provide accommodation to Ukrainian evacuees for one month and it will help with paperwork, settlement assistance and job-search efforts.
The Ukrainian evacuees will pay for utilities.
"People who come here, they need one month of stay. It's an average time when family can find the long-term rent, job and settle down here in Calgary," said Nataliia Shen, housing co-ordinator for vulnerable populations for the Centre for Newcomers.
"That's why we really need this."
STARTING ANEW
Dmytro Syrman and his family arrived in Calgary last March 19, after fleeing their hometown of Dniprorudne in Ukraine.
Syrman says when the Russian army occupied their city and it looked like they weren't leaving, he started to plan their escape.
They arrived in Canada through CUAET and are currently staying with their host family.
"We found a wonderful family and we're in here and starting a new life," Syrman said.
"We can't believe people who don't know us can help, and many helped us."
Syrman says they still have family members back in Ukraine and they connect with them over the internet.
HOSTING EVACUEES
Jeff Vosburgh and his family opened their doors for the Syrman family last week.
He said the decision came from their desire to help and give people a chance to build a life in Canada.
"I looked at our family, and I knew we could help," Vosburgh said.
The Vosburgh family says although there is a little language barrier, the experience has been good and the culture is not that different.
"I feel like it was a very good decision that we did this because, I mean, just the fact that we're helping, it changes their life," said Jenson Vosburgh.
"And I think it's probably one of the best things we've ever done."
The Centre for Newcomers is hoping to get up to 400 hosts for Ukrainian evacuees.
Those who are interested can sign up here.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Monthly earnings rise, payroll employment falls: jobs report
The number of vacant jobs in Canada increased in February, while monthly payroll employment decreased in food services, manufacturing, and retail trade, among other sectors.
Doctors say capital gains tax changes will jeopardize their retirement. Is that true?
The Canadian Medical Association asserts the Liberals' proposed changes to capital gains taxation will put doctors' retirement savings in jeopardy, but some financial experts insist incorporated professionals are not as doomed as they say they are.
Remains from a mother-daughter cold case were found nearly 24 years later, after a deathbed confession from the suspect
A West Virginia father is getting some sense of closure after authorities found the remains of his young daughter and her mother following a deathbed confession from the man believed to have fatally shot them nearly two decades ago.
Something in the water? Canadian family latest to spot elusive 'Loch Ness Monster'
For centuries, people have wondered what, if anything, might be lurking beneath the surface of Loch Ness in Scotland. When Canadian couple Parry Malm and Shannon Wiseman visited the Scottish highlands earlier this month with their two children, they didn’t expect to become part of the mystery.
What do weight loss drugs mean for a diet industry built on eating less and exercising more?
Recent injected drugs like Wegovy and its predecessor, the diabetes medication Ozempic, are reshaping the health and fitness industries.
2 military horses that broke free and ran loose across London are in serious condition
Two military horses that bolted and ran miles through the streets of London after being spooked by construction noise and tossing their riders were in a serious condition and required operations, a British government official said Thursday.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
Fair in Ontario, flurries in Labrador: Weather systems make for an erratic spring
It's no secret that spring can be a tumultuous time for Canadian weather, and as an unseasonably mild El Nino winter gives way to summer, there's bound to be a few swings in temperature that seem out of the ordinary. From Ontario to the Atlantic, though, this week is about to feel a little erratic.
He replaced Mickey Mantle. Now baseball's oldest living major leaguer is turning 100
The oldest living former major leaguer, Art Schallock turns 100 on Thursday and is being celebrated in the Bay Area and beyond as the milestone approaches.