Centraide offers funding for Laval’s Syrian refugees
$195,400 pledged to community groups helping newcomers adjust to life here
Many Syrian refugees who arrived in Montreal in early 2016 had planned to settle down in StLaurent and Cartierville where there’s an established Syrian community eager to help them adjust to their new life.
But some refugees who arrived in the dead of winter last year quickly discovered there was a lack of affordable apartments in north end Montreal, so many crossed the river and settled in Chomedey, Laval, instead.
The arrival of so many refugees overwhelmed community organizations in Laval that work with immigrants, who need help with food, clothing, registering for French classes and finding psychosocial support.
After meeting with community groups to assess their needs, Centraide of Greater Montreal announced on Wednesday that it is donating $195,400 this year to groups in Laval that help integrate Syrian refugees and other immigrants.
When Syrian refugees began showing up at Le Relais communautaire de Laval last year, Lana Kanaan was the only employee who could speak Arabic.
“They’re so relieved to talk to someone in their own language,” said Kanaan, a support worker for Syrian refugees.
“It’s very emotional; there was the shock of the cold winter and many of them don’t understand French or English. They are tired and they have many barriers ahead of them. They need someone to listen to them.”
Le Relais communautaire de Laval, which provides meals and clothing to low-income families, helped 950 Syrian refugees who moved to Laval between December 2015 and May 2017, Kanaan said.
About 7,500 Syrian refugees arrived in Quebec during that time, with about 1,350 of them settling in Laval, according to Quebec’s immigration department.
Nashwan Kassis, a civil engineer from Syria, was one of them.
Almost 18 months after moving to Chomedey with his wife and two children, Kassis has papers to work as a building inspector, but needs to improve his French before he can find work in the field.
He volunteers at Le Relais, helping other Syrian refugees settle in Laval, and recently worked at the group’s tax clinic. Kassis said he’s grateful organizations like Le Relais provided his family with food and furniture when they arrived in Laval.
“We are very happy here,” he said, adding that his children are excelling at school.
Last year, Centraide said it would give an additional $1.5 million over five years to reception centres and integration agencies to help Syrian refugees settle in the greater Montreal region.
The services include integrating into the community, help in accessing the school system and psychosocial support.
Money is also being provided to train and equip community workers.
“If we really want to successfully integrate Syrian refugees, we have to work with them over five years,” said Mario Régis, vicepresident of social development for Centraide.
“Last year, most of the money went to Montreal, but we saw that the groups in Laval were overwhelmed so we made adjustments.”
Apart from donating $130,400 to the Relais communautaire de Laval, Centraide has also provided $65,000 to the Carrefour d’intercultures de Laval to help integrate refugees and immigrants.
The group recently ran a horticultural training program, and eight graduates found work shortly after the course ended.
Centraide is also providing financial support to a group that counsels immigrants who have been victims of violence or who have witnessed terrible acts of violence before coming to Canada.
Centraide gives $3 million annually to 73 agencies that support the integration of immigrants and refugees.
In 2017, Centraide will give $40.8 million to 350 organizations and community groups that fight poverty and social exclusion in the greater Montreal region.
Syrian refugee Howida Tannous was in tears on Wednesday as she thanked Centraide officials for their donations, which have helped countless refugees get a fresh start in their new home.
“You have given us hope to continue our life here,” she said during a news conference in Laval.