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The Welcome Home Refugee Housing Community located in downtown Kitchener is just one of many refugee facilities to benefit from the RIDE for Refugees.
Welcome Home was founded in 2004 by Gord Skopnik, Barbara Lehto and Chester Van Heusen in partnership with Ray of Hope and ITCanada because they recognized a need to create housing and a compassionate welcome for some of the 20,000 refugees who settle in Canada each year on average.
"Refugees don't always even know where they'll end up," said Skopnik, Director of the facility.
Welcome Home qualified as a Partner Grant Recipient and received approximately $5,500 after the 2007 RIDE for Refugees. This money is used to help support the facility which boasts 9 one-room apartments with shared kitchen, laundry and lounge plus 2 one-bedroom family apartments.
Since it opened, Welcome Home has hosted 76 refugees from 27 different countries. To qualify, refugees must be "new arrivals" meaning living in Canada for less than 1 year. Refugee-guests may stay at Welcome Home for up to one year while they grapple with culture and language differences, find alternate housing and jobs.
Skopnik explained that refugee claimants often come to Canada through the States. Sometimes they are held in custody for up to two weeks - a prison-like experience - until their status is verified. Legitimate refugees are then released into the general population but must find their own way.
"It's not the most compassionate welcome to Canada," said Skopnik. "It's key for the church to get involved at the beginning of their journey. New arrivals are open at the beginning and curious. Many come to faith at the beginning. Guests are invited to attend Bible studies and more than 50% of guests choose to participate just out of curiosity because they think of Canada as a Christian country."
Guests are charged for housing according to the level of support they receive from the government or according to their income. Sponsored refugees receive furniture from the government or from their sponsor, whereas the staff maintains an inventory of donated furniture for refugee claimants.
Skopnik, a Canadian, had been working with refugees for 22 years in Vienna and Germany before returning to Canada in 2001.
"Refugees come to Canada from all over the globe," Skopnik said. "God tells us to bring the gospel to all the world but the world is coming to our backyards. We need to join God in what He's doing."
With a volunteer base of about seven churches Welcome Home organizes programs to help refugees integrate into Canadian society including matching Canadian host families with new refugee arrivals, ESL tutoring, homework tutoring, a Friday night games night, special outings, and community meals.
"When I go to Africa and sit with a child who has been tortured and abused by a dictator and that child has no voice--nobody hears his cries," Skopnik said. "We can't imagine what refugees have been through. They need somebody to stand with them in their pain and trauma. We, the church, can be the voice of the voiceless. We can stand in the gap to relieve this suffering."
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