Vancouver Parks board looking at housing Syrian refugeees in caretaker cottages
Parks commissioner says small, vacant homes suitable for a couple, mother and children
The Vancouver Park Board is considering upgrading three vacant caretaker cottages as part of continuing efforts across the region to find temporary housing for the estimated 200 privately-sponsored Syrian refugees expected to land in British Columbia by year’s end.
Catherine Evans, a park board commissioner, said the idea to refurbish the thee cottages, at three different parks throughout the city, came to her while speaking with different groups who are trying to assist with the resettlement process.
In each instance, housing was identified as one the biggest challenges, she said.
“One of the toughest issues for settling refugees right now is housing,” she said. “The kind of housing market that we have in Vancouver, any little tiny bit helps.”
Evans said the topic will be discussed at the next park board meeting Dec. 14. It will be one of two refugee-related motions.
The other, to introduced by another commissioner, is expected to discuss offering refugee families free passes to local community centres for up to a year.
If the board agrees to move ahead with the housing piece, further details, including potential costs and partnering with other refugee support groups will be discussed, Evans said. The vacant caretaker cottages are located in Granville Loop Park, Riley Park and Nanaimo Park.
“The details, of course, are where you always run into obstacles, so I don’t know how well it will actually work. But I’d like to get the ball rolling and at least investigate whether it is a possibility.
“It’s a huge world crisis and we are all trying to do our part to address it in different ways, and this is a potential way that the park board could help and so I think people are looking at (the housing proposal) quite favourably.”
Evans said the three cottages are single bedroom, meaning they would be best suited for a couple, or a mother and her children. They are in reasonably good shape and have showers and stoves.
They are, however, unfurnished, something Evans said the park board would likely try to solve through a partnership with another organization.
In the meantime, it remains unclear how many Syrian refugees will arrive in B.C. by the end of the year as part of the federal government’s commitment to bring in 25,000 to Canada by February 2016.
While B.C. was initially rumoured to be on the books for an estimated 2,700 refugees, the provincial government could only confirm this week that 217 privately sponsored refugees will arrive by the end of 2015. According to an online map updated by Immigration and Citizenship Canada, the bulk of those are headed for Vancouver, Burnaby and New Westminster.