Offers of aid for refugees flood 211 phone line

HALIFAX – In just two days, hundreds of Nova Scotians have called 211 to offer clothes, places to stay and other support for the Syrian refugees the province is expecting in the coming weeks.

“(It’s) an amazing wave of generosity,” the 211 service said in a release on Thursday.

READ MORE: Nova Scotia confident Ottawa will handle security concerns around refugee plan

On Tuesday, Immigration Minister Lena Diab announced the phone line would start coordinating offers for refugees.

Since then, Mike Myette, executive director or the non-profit that provides the 211 service, said the amount of calls the service has received is “absolutely humbling.”

“Everything imaginable, from housing to household goods, everything from dishes to duvets, as well as specialized services such as cleaning,” Myette said about what offers have been trickling in.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "Everything imaginable, from housing to household goods, everything from dishes to duvets, as well as specialized services such as cleaning," Myette said about what offers have been trickling in.

Though many of the calls are offering items, most of the calls have been from people offering their time to help Nova Scotia get ready for the refugees arrival and to help them transition when they get here.

READ MORE: Plan to bring Syrian refugees to NS still on track

“Offers of assistance started to arrive within minutes of the Minister’s announcement on Tuesday and call volume topped out at well over 200 calls by the end of the day. Wednesday saw that number climb to almost 400. We normally receive about 100 calls a day from people with needs in the human and social services area,” Myette said.

Diab said Halifax could be one of the first places in the province to receive refugees, and that the city could house up to 600 newcomers.

“Our job is to help them find services because frequently, people simply don’t know where to turn for help,” she said.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "Our job is to help them find services because frequently, people simply don't know where to turn for help," she said.

Despite concerns over safety and logistics of bringing so many people into the country in such a short while, Justin Trudeau is standing by his campaign promise to bring 25,000 Syrian refugees to Canada before the end of this year.