Private donors are offering to cover the costs for groups that wish to sponsor UN-approved refugees to come to Canada. As part of its yearly planning, the government of Canada has approved 1,500 refugees to be settled with financial and social help from private groups. But there is concern that not enough sponsors have stepped forward.

The government gives up to six months of income support and the private sponsors match that.  The sponsors are also expected to give up to a year of social and emotional support, and often they provide more.

Goal is to resettle up to 1,000 refugees

A new fund was created by the University of Ottawa Refugee Hub, the Shapiro Foundation and Jewish Family Services Ottawa to fully defray the costs to sponsors. Groups that wish to sponsor refuges can submit applications for funding before September 17, 2018 to receive refugees arriving in Canada before the end of the year. The goal is to facilitate the resettlement of up to 1,000 refugees.

This initiative was made possible by financial contributions said to come from “a significant Canadian donor” and the Shapiro Foundation, which is a U.S. charitable foundation focused on improving the lives of the world’s most vulnerable populations