Ad Hoc Refugee Committee Report to Congregation
November 22, 2015

Members: Al Palin, (Chair); Heather Hobbs, (Secretary); Louise Adnams, Mary Clark-Jackson, Sandy Palin, Gary Purdy and Barb Ridley. (Glenys Magill has provided considerable assistance.)

This ad hoc committee was established at the MacNeill congregational meeting on October 4, 2015. The committee has met 3 times, the most recent meeting Nov 11. In addition three committee members attended an information session at Wesley Urban Ministries (WUM) presented by Gillian Kearns. At the Nov 5 meeting, An Ismaili family visited the committee seeking assistance in bringing their family members from Dubai/Syria. The committee plans to recommend to the congregation that the church proceed quickly with sponsorship through the BVOR program.

Information received from Juanita at the October 4 meeting, and from WUM has been valuable in determining how to proceed. WUM is the Hamilton based receiver of Government Assisted Refugees, (GARs), and has considerable expertise in sponsoring and supporting refugees. WUM is willing to provide assistance with documentation and support/resettlement services.
Other contacts to seek information and possible partnership included: Mae Radford, Burlington Baptist Church; Jeff Druery, Student Open Circles, McMaster; Beverley Shephard, Hamilton Quaker Church; Carol Wood, McMaster Chaplaincy; Anne Pearson, Hamilton Interfaith Peace Group; Scott Jones, Micah House; CBOQ website, Dundas Baptist Church, St. Cuthbert’s Presbyterian Church and Grace Lutheran Church. Burlington Baptist and the Quaker congregation are considering partnering with or supporting MacNeill.

The committee considered sending funding to agencies on the ground in and around Syria and on the refugee travel routes. While this is clearly a worthwhile endeavour, this committee’s mandate is to bring refugees to our community. The committee also considered seeking out specifically Christian refugees; however, the majority of the committee preferred to seek a ‘religion blind’ sponsorship.

Since the congregational meeting the committee has received pledges totalling $20,700, with another $1000 in 2016, and $1000 in 2017. There have been many pledges of time and of gifts in kind. Clearly this congregation is determined to sponsor refugees in this time of crisis.

Options for sponsoring refugees include:

• Private Sponsorship acting as a Community Sponsor through a Sponsorship Agreement Holder, (SAH),.
o This option would require 3 to 4 years to bring a refugee family here,
o This would cost a minimum $29,700 for a family of five as well as practical and emotional support for the full 12 months. (It is expected refugees would no longer be dependent on support after 12 months.)
o Privately sponsored refugees, (or their sponsor), must pay their own medical expenses
o A private sponsor may apply to sponsor a known refugee family
(As a Community Sponsor MacNeill may act without an SAH if we are sponsoring Syrian or Iraqi refugees).

• Blended Visa Office Referral (BVOR) Program a cost sharing program between a Community Sponsor and the Ministry of Citizenship and Immigration Canada, (CIC)
o Sponsor is responsible for income support for the first 6 months, (~$11,250), while the Ministry of Citizen and Immigration would cover income support for the second six months.
o Sponsor is still responsible for all the practical and emotional support for 12 months and for start-up costs, (~$7,200). (Sponsors total financial cost would be ~$18,500);
o CIC provides extended health coverage for BVOR sponsored refugees
o BVOR refugees are ‘travel ready’, already vetted by CIC, and could arrive within weeks or months of our applying as sponsors
o Refugee selection is restricted to those on the CIC list which contains only brief profiles
o A cap on sponsorships has been recently lifted, but may be reinstated

North Burlington Baptist Church has sponsored a refugee family of six. They chose to sponsor through the BVOR Program and to apply ‘religion blind’. NBBC sent their application in late July/early August, using CBOQ as their SAH. The advantage of using an SAH is that the SAH assumes liability rather than the Community Sponsor, (in this case NBBC). The family arrived in Canada October 22, 2015. NBBC has explained the process they used which this committee is recommending that MacNeill follow.

An Outline of the Process to Sponsor Refugees

Assuming MacNeill Baptist Church passes the motion below:
• The pledges members of the congregation made will be called in and placed in a trust fund
• This ad hoc committee will contact CBOQ to request they be our SAH
• The committee will begin completing the necessary application forms and preparing for the arrival of the family*
• CBOQ will forward a list of prospective refugee families from the CIC list all vetted by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) which we will have access to for 14 days in order to make a selection. Once a family is chosen CBOQ will ‘hold’ that family till our application is complete
• MacNeill will forward the completed application form to the Central Processing Office in Winnipeg, (CPO-W)
• The CIC and the UN do their thing, ultimately approving or rejecting the sponsorship, arranging the families flight to Canada and notifying MacNeill

*Preparation includes:
• Gathering funding to cover income support and start-up costs (minimum total $18,500, expect to spend more)
• arranging temporary housing for when the family arrives
• Gathering necessary living needs, furniture, clothing, linens, cooking utensils

Upon arrival responsibilities include:
• Meeting and welcoming the family upon arrival, 12 months of friendship and encouragement
• Assisting with acquiring Canadian documentation, SIN, health cards, driver’s license
• Schooling for children, adults, including ESL
• Orientation to this culture: shopping, cooking, transportation,
• Assisting with travel to medical and dental appointments, shopping
• Financial coaching, banking, budgeting, GST, tax benefits,

Spread the word to friends, family, neighbours that we need support financially, time and effort, gifts in kind.

There is support available from WUM, CBOQ, at this moment Burlington Baptist Church is deciding whether to partner with us, North Burlington Baptist Church is ahead of us and we can benefit from their experience.

This is doable.

The MacNeill Baptist Church Ad Hoc Refugee Committee propose the following motion:

That MacNeill Baptist Church sponsor a family of up to five Syrian or Iraqi refugees through the Canadian Government Blended Visa Office Referred Program using the CBOQ as our Sponsorship Agreement Holder (SAH) beginning immediately. Should Burlington Baptist Church be available to partner with us, they will be welcome.

Note: This motion was passed at the congregational meeting of Nov 22 2015.  As well, Burlington Baptist has agreed to partner with us.