Community groups in Quebec help Syrian refugees in settlement in Canada

These Syrian refugees had paid $12,000 to Christian church to come to Canada and the cash belongs to them, Canadian Press reported.

The church is paying back the money to them in 12 monthly instalments.

The sponsors had the foresight to ensure the support of Saad, 32, and Altabra, 47, with the funds to get through their first year in Quebec.

Several community groups interviewed by The Canadian Press said many refugees sponsored by private citizens didn't have the means to care for them.

These community groups and the Quebec government are considering how privately sponsored refugees’ financial situation could be stabilized after a year in the province.

"Some families had nothing to eat, no furniture, often not even appliances," said Marie Bourret, co-ordinator with CLICS Laval, a volunteer centre that has been helping refugees integrate into the province.

"We've had people come to us who had been here five months and didn't even have a refrigerator."

The patrons of privately sponsored people are supposed to care of them for 12 months as opposed to refugees taken in by the province.

These refugees could apply for welfare only after one year if unable to find work.

"We had schools calling us because kids were coming in with nothing to eat, while others called and said the rent couldn't be paid," Bourret said.

Many families did not know where their sponsors were, said Veronica Islas, who works with a community group in Montreal that helps refugees.

Altabra and his wife Saad were grateful for the help they received.

They work during the weekend at a burger restaurant and spend the week taking French lessons and are preparing to stand on their feet by the 13th month.

"We believe in God," Saad said through a translator at a recent community event north of Montreal. "God helped us this far, helped us to get here. We are confident we will find jobs."

According to a media reports Issam Alsamaan, 55, had come to Canada with only US$ 3,000 and lived with his brother-in-law for the first six months.

After that he managed to rent an apartment where he with wife and their three children between the ages 8 and 14 live.

They were also receiving child benefits from the government to help them pay off their bills.

Refugees became permanent residents as soon as they landed and all families irrespective of if they were sponsored privately of by the government immediately became eligible for children-aid programs.

"I am confident I will find work as a mason," he said through a translator. "My kids are integrating, they are learning French and I met people who said they will help me find work as soon as I learn how to speak the language."

During the 2015 election campaign Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had pledged to accept 25,000 Syrian refugees and Quebec welcomed just more than 2,000 by the end of that year.

Only 15 were state-sponsored and the rest were under the care of individual citizens or community and religious groups.

After Quebec had increased its state-sponsored refugee quota this year, Quebec recently welcomed 1,123 people as of Oct. 10. During the same period another 3,062 Syrians were privately sponsored.

With the approach of one-year anniversary for many privately sponsored refugees, the Quebec government is considering how many have found work and how many applications it would receive for welfare.

"We have no information on our end that tells us welfare applications will increase considerably," said Antoine Lavoie, a spokesman for Quebec's Employment Department.

According to media reports the employment figures of the government aren't promising.

333 companies took part in Quebec’s program to help refugees find work, Lavoie said.

1,350 positions were offered by the participating companies as of mid-October, but only 242 spots were filled, and all those positions were not filled by Syrians, Lavoie said.

Lavoie added other Syrian refugees could have found work outside government programs but that the province doesn't track those figures.

Paul Clarke, Executive Director of Action Refugees Montreal (ARM), is looking into the concept of the "13th month" and how Quebec will help the refugees after their first year in the province.

He said he and the government are aware that some sponsors didn't keep their promises to lend financial help to the refugees for one year.

"Various groups, from a humanitarian perspective, wanted to help as many people as possible," he said.

"However, sponsoring people who are coming here as a refugee is a large responsibility and it could be that some individuals and groups took on too many."

According to the Annual Report of Action Refugees Montreal, Eliane Bastos, Treasurer said “there was a significant increase of donations both from individuals and churches. We received new grants from donors such as the J. W. McConnell Family Foundation, the Foundation of Greater Montreal, and TD Bank Group……In addition to its operating account; ARM manages a segregated In-Trust account containing funds provided by Canadian residents applying to sponsor refugees. In 2015, $208 506 was disbursed from the In-Trust account to refugees who had arrived in Canada. A total of $586 660 was deposited for new sponsorships. At year-end 2015 this account contained $1 345 882 for 121 files (a total of 300 persons).”

The programs at the ARM are: Sponsoring a refugee, Jumelage/Twinning Program, Detention Program, Education and Advocacy

(Reporting by Asha Bajaj)