If you have a spare couple rooms in the basement that will be empty, just for the next six months, the Ridge Meadows Ukrainian Welcoming Committee welcomes your phone call or e-mail.
The group is helping people arriving from war-torn Ukraine, and is still looking for basement suites, empty apartments and spare rooms.
So far, the group has lined up 14 host families, who will provide living space once more families arrive.
Most of those are spare rooms in homes, which is fine for a mother and one or two small kids. However, about a quarter of those arriving could be families of four or more, said Brody McDearmid, who’s on the committee.
Currently, two families of four are already in Maple Ridge looking for a place, with one of those needing wheelchair access for the father.
Another family of three is arriving next week from eastern Ukraine, forced to leave their home after it was bombed early in March during the Russian invasion. The mother is a university professor, with a daughter who has graduated from university, and a teenage son who loves soccer.
She said in a letter in English that she needs help, just until she can find a job to pay the rent.
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Becoming a host requires a criminal record check ($10) for each person in the house, plus an inspection of the home. Hosts then meet the refugees to see if it’s a good fit. If so, they sign a contract to share their home for six months.
McDearmid said there’s help for the extra costs.
“We will absolutely help out with transportation, food, clothing, helping them find work, so the financial burden is expected to be nominal for the host family,” he said.
People who want to become host families can click on the link https://forms.office.com/r/d6etJMv4LS on the group’s Facebook page. www.facebook.com/RMUWC
Thirty one refugees so far have arrived in Ridge Meadows, with most staying with family and friends.
More than six million people have had to flee their homes after Russia invaded the country Feb. 24 and began shelling civilian targets.
Three federal government-sponsored refugee flights have arrived or will arrive soon in Canada but none are destined for Vancouver.
The welcoming committee can be reached at: RMUWC@outlook.com.
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