Neighbours Helping Neighbours, the small charitable group associated with the Southeast Rural Resource Committee will seek assistance from local churches as they move forward with an application process to bring a Syrian refugee family or two to Estevan.
Emily Gillies chaired a March 29 meeting in the Suburban Extended Stay Hotel that prompted ideas surrounding the Syrian refugee crisis and the local response.
It was noted that church organizations often have an inside track and an existing structure in place that might expedite the application process in an efficient manner.
Gillies said she was not opposed to approaching the local Estevan Ministerial Association and some local churches to see if there was interest in becoming part of the process.
The sponsorship of refugees, the group learned, are valid for up to one year, but some are extended beyond that time limit by mutual agreement if a need is identified.
The small group attending the second public meeting said the mandate could expand to include assistance to the rural communities, as it did in the past.
Barry Harris said the Southeast Rural Resource team leaped into the social fray during the stressful period following a ban on Canadian beef due to the BSE crisis and a downward spiral in agricultural commodity prices. He said at that time many producers were facing foreclosures, unable to pay utility bills and were dealing with a lot of stress, much like what the new refugees might undergo upon arrival.
“That committee then was formed to take on immediate concerns of the farming community with a communication stress line, and it certainly helped,” said Harris.
The group was unanimous in the idea of approaching the church community, since church sponsorship agreements are often already in place and Neighbours Helping Neighbours would have no difficulty in taking on a secondary or supporting role in the application process and the resettlement action plan while addressing some other local social needs, according to the original mandate.
