The group trying to sponsor a refugee family decided to pursue private sponsorship at their fourth meeting at the Barrhead United Church on Thursday, Feb. 11.
According to co-chair Ralph Helder, previous efforts to make contact with the Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) – the organization acting as an intermediary between the group now calling itself Barrhead Community Refugee Support (BCRS), and the Trudeau government, have stalled and there are indications that the government is backing off from Blended Visa Office-Referred (BVOR) applicants from Syria.
“I contacted the refugee office of the United Church of Canada in Toronto on Jan. 26, and again on Feb. 5, and through messages and emails, I was told that the government had backed off from BVOR’s,” Helder said, adding it was suggested that private sponsorships might be a route to explore.
“I asked them to send me a list of applicants for the privately sponsored refugee program, whether they are single males or families, Syrians or non-Syrians, but I’ve received absolutely nothing from them to date,” he added.
Helder’s recommendation was that the group vote on whether to move forward with private sponsorships or not.
“It has been a struggle just getting the applications and I find that really interesting, especially if the government is backing off now,” he said.
Co-chair Rita Lyster agreed.
“One of the things we had to do in order to get the ball rolling was fill out a profile for the Mennonite Central Committee,” Lyster said, adding that she stressed the group’s desire to work with a BVOR applicant.
“I just feel that we need to open our arms to whomever God sends us,” she said.
Lyster told the ten people in attendance on Thursday that the bank account for the group’s sponsorship funding had been set up, and confirmed Helder’s frustrations in dealing with the MCC.
“I tried to contact them and it was the same for me,” Lyster said, adding a voicemail was left, but nothing else occurred.
“I’m going to be honest, I was actually expecting a waiting list,” Helder said. “I won’t say I am discouraged, but I am disappointed somewhat because I was really hoping we could bring a list of potential families for us to consider at the meeting. I’m a bit of an impatient person – anybody who really knows me knows this is true – and I would just like to see us get the ball rolling. I haven’t given up, and I’m still very interested, but I believe we are ready to go on this and things are stalling.”
“The only real difference between BVOR’s and private-sponsorship is that there is less government money involved,” Lyster said, adding that the onus for support would remain on the shoulders of the members of BCRS.
“I think the process is faster with private sponsorships than with the BVORs,” she added.
“Personally, I have no objection whatsoever,” Helder said. “For me, it’s all about extending the hands and feet of Jesus Christ in supporting any family.”
Helder expressed his interest in moving forward with private sponsorship, saying that they seem to be picked up more readily than the government-backed BVOR applicants.
“I don’t know why, but they are snapped up fairly quickly. The BVORs are sponsored by the government and screened, but that’s what is happening,” he said.
Concerning other preparations, Helder told the group that Habitat For Humanity Edmonton has committed to providing all of the furnishings a family might require.
“Habitat just needs to go into their ReStore with the family or individual and they need to pick out what they need,” Helder said.
He was hopeful that the group would ultimately decide to pursue private sponsorship.
“I think with the BVORs, we’ll be waiting for months and I think there is some pressure to take non-Syrians,” he said, adding while no one in government had told him, it was something he believed to be true.
“I think there is a back-log in the screening process but no one is saying it though,” Helder said. “The government already has mud in their eyes.”
As of press time, the next meeting of the group had not yet been scheduled.
