Winnipeg church encourages people to sponsor Syrian refugees

A church in Winnipeg's North Kildonan neighbourhood is trying to quell the fears people have about sponsoring refugees to come to Canada.

Douglas Mennonite Church has already sponsored refugees from Syria, Eritrea, Colombia, Sierra Leone, and the former Yugoslavia.

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Heidi Reimer is the chair of the church's refugee settlement team and she said sponsoring a family includes finding affordable housing for them with nice amenities, giving them financial support, and helping them integrate into a life in Canada. 

But Reimer said the payoff is seeing the families connect with others from their home country, and building a new life for themselves.

"What really matters to these people is the community they form and the people that surround them," Reimer said.  

"It's also about becoming a part of their community here.  And it's about helping them become acclimatized to the culture."

In her experience, it's best to expect the unexpected.

In one case the church sponsored a single man from Eritrea, but by the time he got here he was married with a child, Reimer said.   

Some of these people come from very humble backgrounds, Reimer said, and some are very educated and have a higher standard of living in their home countries.

Reimer said watching people rebuild their lives is inspiring and really amazing.

"It's about befriending these people because they may have nobody else here."