Syrian refugees: Nova Scotians' offers to help, by the numbers
Generosity 'not really surprising,' says 211 Nova Scotia executive director Mike Myette
Calls to help Syrian refugees have flooded Nova Scotia's community services help line 211 Nova Scotia.
Normally the line takes calls from people looking to access the province's community services and programs. The line only started accepting calls to help refugees Nov. 17, and since then the call volume has almost doubled.
By the numbers provided by 211, here's how Nova Scotians are offering to help:
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1,989 total refugee-related calls between Nov. 17 and Dec. 3.
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60 per cent of the calls to 211 since Nov. 17 were for refugee assistance.
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1,095 offers of material support.
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1,016 offers of volunteer support.
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262 offers of housing support.
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162 offers of financial support.
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82 offers of language support.
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1,372 women who called.
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416 men who called.
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2 calls from teenagers.
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38 per cent of the calls were from people in Halifax.
Mike Myette, executive director of 211 Nova Scotia, says the volume of calls has put pressure on the system but now "we're managing that reasonably well." Getting emails helps, he said, though he reminded people to give lots of details and a phone number.
"We do find getting back to them some people don't check their emails as often as they might," Myette said.
The gender gap — abound 70 per cent of the calls come from women — doesn't surprise Myette. He says that's similar to the breakdown for normal calls to the line.
"Women are often the more emotional and caring side of a relationship, to be honest, and in some cases — not to be flippant — but men don't often ask for help," he said.
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He said the high volume of calls is reflective of the province's kindness.
"It's not really surprising to see how generous Nova Scotians are. I think they have a long and storied history of supporting causes and supporting each other in this province," Myette said.
"It's humbling to see, but certainly not unexpected."
Nova Scotians have submitted at least 35 applications to privately sponsor Syrian refugees. It's unclear if those refugees will arrive in the province by the end of the year.