Lethbridge Family Services provided an update Thursday on the Syrian refugee population in the city. It’s always busy, but back in January and February of 2016, LFS was operating in somewhat of a state of chaos.
“We were welcoming families four or five times a day,” Lethbridge Family Service’s Sarah Amies said. “There would be often times where we wouldn’t be aware that perhaps someone was arriving at the airport. We’d get a panicked call from one of our colleagues in Calgary: ‘We just put people on a plane to Lethbridge! Get to the airport!’”
In total, Lethbridge welcomed 275 Syrian refugees in 2016. Of that group, 11 families are now at the end of their year of government funding. Seven of the families are working, three are not, and one is on AISH (Assured Income for the Severely Handicapped) funding. Overall, Lethbridge Family Services is pleased with the group’s progress.
“The Syrians, when we’re talking specifically about them, they’re so motivated in their own settlement. They are so keen to get started again,” Amies said.
Immigrants coming to Canada on one-year of government support are encouraged to take the full year, without working to learn English and acclimate to society.
“When the Syrian folks first started coming in, in January and Febraury… they’re very motivated,” Amies said. “A lot of them were saying, especially the men, ‘We’re going to go out and get jobs right away,’ and we were saying, ‘That’s a wonderful idea. Park it for another 12 months. You need to stay in English (courses).’”
Most from the group off government support are now starting to find employment, and get a grasp on the English language. Lethbridge Family Services and other organizations around the city have helped them along the way, but Amies knows the job is far from done.
“Some research says it takes over seven years to get over that culture shock,” Amies said. “Well we’re not dashing out to the airport every 10 minutes, what we are doing is working on folks who are on the ground and continuing to assist them through their settlement journey.”
Amies says Lethbridge Family Services plans to welcome another 70 Syrian refugees to Lethbridge in 2017.
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