The YMCA of Hamilton-Burlington-Brantford has established a program which aims to create short-to-mid-term accommodations for Ukrainian arrivals.
The program will place Ukrainian individuals and families in “host homes” for one to six months, as they create a life in Southern Ontario.
Lily Lumsden, the senior regional manager of employment and immigrant services at the YMCA, says demand is already high with more than 100 Ukrainian families on their waiting list.
“Seventy-five per cent of those families are already in Ontario,” says Lumsden. “The other 25 per cent of the families, they have flights booked to come to Canada in the next month and a half.”
“Hamilton has a strong Ukrainian community,” adds Lumsden, “so people want to come here.”
To become a host home, residents must apply online and pass a screening process.
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Lumsden stresses they are trying to ensure “a right fit” around individual circumstances, for both host families and new arrivals.
She says a lot of the Ukrainian families have been living in shelters after fleeing their homeland, “to be able to just rest, and decompress with a Canadian family, with that family atmosphere and support would be extremely helpful.”
There is no direct compensation through the YMCA, but some costs could eventually be reimbursed through a recently-announced federal benefit program.
“Almost two weeks ago, the federal government announced some income support for the Ukrainians fleeing the war,” says Lumsden. “Each family will get a one-time payment.”
For adults, it’s a one-time payment of $3,000 and for children, it’s a one-time payment of $1,500.
“They come here with a suitcase,” notes Lumsden, “and so they’re going to need more clothing, they’re going to need shampoo and toothbrushes, those types of things.”
She adds that the “host homes” program, combined with financial support, gives social service providers time to help the arrivals find employment, “so that they can earn an income, that allows them to find permanent housing.”
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