They fled war in their own country, and landed in a new country eager for a new start, but now some Ukrainian refugees in the Maritimes are facing homelessness and an uncertain future.
Many household items have been donated for Ukrainians settling in Halifax after fleeing war in their home country.
“I’m picking up a crib for a family of five,” says Ukrainian Canadian Congress Nova Scotia branch vice president Lyubov Zhyznomirska.
That family does have a place to put to set it up, but others aren’t so lucky.
300 Ukrainians arrived in Halifax on June 2. The federal government provides them with accommodations for up to 14 nights, which brings them to Thursday.
”Some of these families don’t yet, today, two days before their accommodations are up, have a place to go at all,” says Rick Langille, a volunteer with Atlantic Canadian Hosts for Ukrainians.
There are a few reasons why that is.
“Finding a place that would be available halfway through a month, for example,” Zhyznomirska says.
The federal government has a program that provides transitional financial assistance. A statement from the Minister of Immigration, Sean Fraser, says, “These funds will help Ukrainian nationals and their family members meet their basic needs - such as transportation and longer-term housing - as they arrive in communities across Canada and find a job.”
The benefit is a one-time payment of $3,000 per adult and $1,500 per child 17 and under. Langille says however, there is one catch.
“The individual must have a bank account and social insurance number, and those applications can sometimes take more than two weeks,” he says. “I don’t know if there was a whole lot of thought behind what happens when the two weeks is over.”
Nova Scotia currently has a Ukrainian community of more than 9,000 people.
