PRESENTATION TO PICTOU TOWN COUNCIL The Ministry of Refugee Sponsorship Mayor Hawes, Councillor, members of the press & others... Thank you for the opportunity to appear before and speak to you this evening. I promise to respect your time and to be brief although I have what I believe to be a very important topic and message for you, our town and this area. To begin then, I ask you to think about this... Last year 2014, Canada had an estimated population of 35.5 million people and the world's population included 59.5 million refugees. That s 24 million more people than live in Canada... fleeing their home & country... in search of safe refuge. The number of refugees is a big problem. With unrest in Israel, Palestine, Iran, Iraq & Syria, It has been growing in the past few years News reports of course, have brought this to our attention in Pictou and as a result, last April or May several local people were talking about it and wondering how folks here could help. Various churches and denominations in other areas of Canada and the US have ministries around refugee sponsorship including the United Church so that small Pictou gathering set itself up as an informal, ad hoc group to further study the situation and investigate what would be involved in sponsoring a refugee. It wasn't a Pictou United Church group as such, although it had its meetings there through the summer. It didn t have a set membership - Summer is a busy time so people came and went and attended its meetings when they were available and could. Others heard about what they were talking and doing and they asked if they could come and of course they were welcomed to join in. This including people from Stella Maris, Trenton and from out in the County. Through the summer, this loose group looked at and studied whatever information they could gather and prepared a few short information papers. 1
... It s not my intention to give you a detailed account of these but just to provide a title and broad brush summary of the papers which I ve attached as Appendixes to this presentation. You can read them for the details later at your leisure. App. 1 Why Take on the Ministry of Refugee Sponsorship? This paper simply speaks to and outlines the reasons the group felt we would and should want to get involved in this process. App. 2 What is the Blended Visa Office-Referred Program? After reviewing the various options, the group felt this Blended Visa Office-Referred Program would be the best and safest option for a new and inexperienced group like ours. This paper describes this program and provides the reasons why the grope prefers it. App. 3 What is Involved? The Application Process? Our Financial Obligations? What Are We Committing To? This paper I think of as the nitty-gritty. It simply outlines what its title suggests, what is involved, the application process, the financial and other obligations we would be committing to. App. 4 Community Information Letter This is a letter that is being widely distributed to advise people in the community of what is being done. (I understand Council has already received a copy.) While any refugees coming to Canada could be Christian, it s more likely at this point that they would be Muslim, Hindu, Atheist or some other faith tradition. So while for technical reasons, the group must submit its application through a church office, we d like to make it a larger community project to receive and help them settle in our area.... 2
So lets look together quickly at how the refugee journey begins: REFUGEE JOURNEY BEGINS Christian aid workers await and meet overcrowded boatloads, hundreds of refugees who arrive daily on this small island in Grease having left most everything behind to flee the terror in their homeland and begin a perilous and uncertain journey by paddling to safety across this treacherous sea. The aid workers welcome and comfort them, help them to disembark their rafts, to dry, warm up & care for themselves and their children. They also provide them with dry clothing and needed medical care. These refugees are then bid and wished a fond farewell to continue their journey to a refugee camp somewhere in hope of someday being able to find a welcome new homeland somewhere to reestablish their lives. These refugees will wind up in some refugee camp somewhere and there they will languish for one... two... and sometimes many more years being examined, interviewed, investigated and processed while hoping that some country, 3
sometime, somewhere will be willing to take them in as refugees and give them an opportunity to begin their lives anew. And what we think might happen sometime in the next year or so is that one of these refugee families with perhaps 3-4 members including one or two children might receive word that some group, in a small town, in a very far away land with a very strange name... (let me try to pronounce the name for you,... Pic tou, No va Sco tia) is willing to sponsor them to come and live in and become part of that town.... For Pictou United to assist refugees, it needs our head office in Toronto to apply on our behalf to the Canada Immigration department. So, hoping that our community might eventually provide a refugee family with that happy result, the ad hoc group recently asked the Pictou United Church Council to seek its congregation s approval to ask the head office in Toronto to proceed. And, the Congregation decided to go ahead. So following that decision, the ad hoc group has reorganized into 6 working groups... 1) Application & Paperwork 2) Accommodations/Housing 3) Finances & Fundraising 4) Community Awareness, Support & Networking 5) Welcome & Settlement 6) Clothing & Personal Needs The thinking is that a representative or the co-chairs of each of these working groups would form a "Coordinating Committee"; and there would be co-chairs of the "Coordinating Committee". Stephen MacKenzie and Linda Gee agreed to co-chair the Coordinating Committee. We also need someone to be a secretary/note taker for the meetings of the "Coordinating Committee. 4
The working groups will meet as they need to, with the larger gathering happening once a month or as needed to coordinate work, share information and support each other. Of course all are welcome to be part of the larger "Coordinating Committee meetings. We still need folks willing to be part of the working groups so people are asked to consider their area of interest and contact Mary Beth to pass their name on. There is much work and planning for us to do, but what an incredible opportunity to be part of work that can truly change people's lives. So please consider how you might support this work and ministry and if you know of anyone else who has a passion for justice, please share with them what we are doing and invite them to get involved. Thank you for your time and attention this evening.... 5
App. 1 Why Take on the Ministry of Refugee Sponsorship? To Seek Justice THE MINISTRY OF REFUGEE SPONSORSHIP God says, Reach out! The world s in need and wants a word, a song, a deed. I send you forth to speak, to sing, to act for Christ in everything. The Facts: apart from our aboriginal brothers and sisters, we are historically a nation of immigrants, many of them seeking refuge from persecution. an estimated 59.5 million people worldwide are fleeing home and country. Canada has become one of the world s top 3 refugee resettlement counties with our Government making a commitment to resettle 10,000 Syrians by the end of 2017. immigration is imbedded in our sense of nationhood. The Motivation: to put our collective finger on the pulse of the world, and respond. to put our faith into action as we seek justice and care for the other: as Christ challenges in The Parable of the Good Samaritan. because we are a small crucial part of something really big. because we can an accident of birth has made us a people of privilege. to make a difference. As our Mission Statement proclaims: Within the congregation of Pictou United Church we are committed to sharing with God in ministries of care and outreach within and beyond the community to create a just world for all. 6
App. 2 What is the Blended Visa Office-Referred Program? To Seek Justice THE MINISTRY OF REFUGEE SPONSORSHIP Launched in 2013, the Blended Visa Office-Referred (BVOR) Program matches refugees identified for resettlement by the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) with private sponsors in Canada. The goal of this program is to engage in a three-way partnership among the Government of Canada, the UNHCR, and private sponsors who are called Sponsorship Agreement Holders (SAHs). The United Church of Canada (UCC) is a Sponsorship Agreement Holder, and a congregation such as Pictou United Church can apply to become recognized as a constituent group under its umbrella. Under the Blended Visa Office-Referred (BVOR) Program, refugees are referred to Canadian visa offices abroad directly by the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR). Many of the refugees sponsored under this program will be travel-ready and will arrive in Canada quickly, normally within 1-4 months. The Government of Canada will provide up to six months of income support through the Resettlement Assistance Program (RAP), while private sponsors will provide another six months of financial support, as well as up to a year of social and emotional support. Refugees are also covered under the Interim Federal Health Program for the duration of the sponsorship, in addition to provincial health coverage. See https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n-y_td_jtvy for more information, including an interview with a refugee. 7
App. 3 What is Involved? The Application Process? Our Financial Obligations? What Are We Committing To? To Seek Justice THE MINISTRY OF REFUGEE SPONSORSHIP Our responsive reading on August 30, 2015 reminded that as Christians we should commit ourselves to carry our worship in Jesus' name from the church to the streets remembering God's gift of life wherever there is death, violence, grief & loss; His invitation to belong and find shelter wherever there is loneliness, rejection, homelessness and people are displaced; His reign of justice and righteousness wherever there is lawlessness, tyranny, corruption and oppression; His sacrifice of love and mercy wherever there is hatred, evil, hopelessness, regret and guilt; and all that God has done for us in His call to live what we sing and pray. Since spring, a small steering group from our church has been considering and discussing the financial as well as the spiritual and other implications for Pictou United and our congregation should Pictou United decide to become involved in sponsoring a refugee family. It's a decision not to be taken too lightly as while our Pictou United congregation certainly has all the required skills and abilities to pull it off successfully, it's a significant social and financial commitment to resettle a displaced family from a foreign land and culture that probably will arrive unable to speak our language. This is not an undertaking for a small group but rather will require the commitment of each and all of us and the coordinated involvement of 3 or 4 committees, each with several active members. Here are a few examples of possible working committees Housing seeking out possible appropriate accommodations and furnishings. Awareness making the wider community aware of this project; 8
Support seeking support from wider community and community groups. As well as support from local professionals (ie. Dentists; lawyers; ESL teachers English as a second language) Fundraising seeking funds, sources of funding and gifts in kind. The Blended VOR Program (Blended Visa Office Referred Program) appears to be the wisest choice for us. Under this program costs are shared by Citizenship & Immigration Canada and the sponsoring group for 6 months each. Refugees resettled under the Blended VOR program will receive income support through the Resettlement Assistance Program (RAP) for the first six months. They are fully covered under the Interim Health Program (IFHP) for the duration of the sponsorship, in addition to provincial health coverage. Upon approval by our Council, our Congregation and the United Church of Canada there are four forms to be filled out (The Undertaking Legal Document, Sponsorship Form (references, police checks, etc.), the Settlement Form and the Documents Checklist. These are all processed through the Centralized Processing Office in Winnipeg. Once approved, we would receive a Notice of Arrival approximately 2 weeks before the refugees arrive. The estimated costs of resettling a refugee family of four is $27,000, which includes a start up costs* of approx. $7,000 which is the responsibility of the Sponsor, and $20,000 which is split between the Sponsor and the RAP program. Total estimated cost for the sponsor is $17,000 for the year. *Start-up costs typically include one-time payment for household items, linens, food staples, clothing & winter apparel, school supplies (unless donated) plus deposits for utilities, phone installation, first month s rent, etc. It is also important to note that in kind donations of materials, services (dentist, lawyer, accountant, taxis, etc.) can help off set the costs normally borne by the Sponsor. As language instruction will very likely be needed, anyone able to act as an ESL (English as a Second Language) instructor would be able to significantly reduce expenses associated with the resettlement of the refugee family. 9
App. 4 Community Information Letter October 6, 2015 Dear Pictou United Church THE UNITED CHURCH OF CANADA ~ L EGLISE UNIE DU CANADA P. O. Box 995, Pictou, Nova Scotia B0K 1H0 Office (902) 485-8081 Fax (902) 485-8082 pictouunited@eastlink.ca The plight of the estimated 59.5 million people worldwide fleeing home and country to seek a safe refuge has been riveted in our hearts and minds by the photo of toddler Aylan Kurdi s body lying on a beach. Months before this iconic image gripped the world, an ad hoc committee of Pictou United Church members and friends began exploring possibly pursuing the ministry of refugee sponsorship via the Blended Visa Office Referred Program travel-ready refugees with all documentation in place. The committee recently brought a recommendation to Church Council and, subsequently, to a congregational meeting, receiving strong congregational support and approval to proceed. In our discussions, the family we believe we could support and that would integrate most effectively into Pictou is a small family of 3 or 4 persons, including at least one child. The congregation will be required to support the refugee family entrusted to it for one year, with six months of social assistance level government support provided and MSI coverage assured. In preparing to receive a refugee family, we are currently seeking commitment of community professional support (legal, medical, dental, etc.). Several local professionals have already enthusiastically pledged their support. In addition to this professional support, the engagement of the community at large will be essential to successfully welcome, support, and integrate a family coming from incredibly troubling circumstances. To learn more about this project as you consider whether your group would be interested in supportive involvement, please contact the church office. To follow developments in our sponsorship journey, check out the church website (www.pictouunited.com) and our Facebook group page. We appreciate your consideration of providing welcoming and ongoing support for a new Pictou family. In addition to inviting your involvement in Pictou United s refugee sponsorship ministry, we would be glad to share what we have learned if your group would be interested in refugee sponsorship of your own. Historically, Canada is a nation of immigrants, many of our ancestors having come here seeking refuge from persecution. We are a small crucial part of something really big; it is within our power to make the world a better place, one refugee family at a time. Sincerely, Ruth C. Mackay 10