Displaced Ukrainians could be arriving in Cochrane as soon as next week and some locals are trying to make sure they have what they need.
Chantal Barber and her family will be taking in a family of five from Ukraine as soon as next week.
“They are in Frankfurt now,” said Barber. “They are approved and waiting for [their] visa to be sent back to them and then they can book their flight.”
Barber connected with the family through an ad she placed to be a homestay on ukrainetakeshelter.com
“There are two 30-something adults and they have a 13, 11 and five-year-old,” she explained. “They are coming from Eastern Ukraine, so they left earlier than when martial law was declared so the husband was able to leave."
The husband is a mechanical engineer with a master’s degree, while his wife has a Master’s in ecology.
"They built their dream home two years ago and two months ago their daughter was in a dance contest and her mom was sewing her an outfit," Barber said. "Three days later they were trying to decide what the best thing is to do, knowing they may never come back (to Ukraine). It is the most heart-wrenching thing.”
Barber said soon after posting her ad, she had many people reaching out to her.
“I had 20 people message me and they are sending me videos of their families and videos of their kids, taking pictures of their kids and saying please help,” she said.
The Ukrainian people she talked to often did not know about Canada, she said, and Canadian families looking to host often did not know what all it would entail.
Barber started working with the people who contacted her through her ad to try to point them to a place in Canada where they could easily find employment with their job experience.
“There is a family likely going to Canmore, another to Vegreville, and I’ve connected seven families in Manitoba and some in southern Alberta,” Barber said, adding she also began talking to potential hosts to ensure they knew what they need to provide.
“They are not refugees,” Barber explained, “They are on a tourist visa that allows them to come and go and work. They get a visa and then they are responsible for themselves.”
People who take in Ukrainian refugees need to provide them with food, toiletries and everything else they need when they arrive, she said. They should connect them with agencies like Rocky View Immigrant Services.
Fleeha Ahmad is the program coordinator/settlement counsellor for Rockyview Immigrant Services.
She said they are expecting families from Ukraine to come to the Cochrane area because they have already had people reach out looking for support. However, the timeline for their arrival is unknown.
“That time frame can be very lengthy,” Ahmad said. “The process, because it is such a large group of people, it still takes time. Though they are rushing and trying to get them to a safe spot, it is still difficult to give it a time frame.”
When Ukrainian families begin to arrive, Ahmad said she will be able to help them find the resources they need.
“We help them to integrate, to settle, all the people new to the community or Canada in general,” she said. “In Rocky View, I like to be the primary base of referral because I can connect them with all the local agencies that would be beneficial for them.”
Cochrane teacher Michelle Gould organized a donation drive this past weekend for immigrant families, including those coming from Ukraine. Those donations are being stored in homes and garages in Cochrane until they are needed and can be distributed by local agencies.
She said a Facebook post on a Cochrane community group from a woman who is waiting for her sister’s family to arrive from Ukraine inspired her to do the donation drive.
Gould said they had a steady stream of cars dropping off items at RancheView School.
“We collected around 150 boxes and dozens of bags full of items so it will definitely help lots and lots of families,” she said.
Students and a community volunteer helped collect and sort the boxes and distribute them to where they are being stored. Everything from clothes, to household items and décor, to games and toiletries were collected.
Gould said if people still have items they would like to donate for families in need to connect with local agencies like Helping Hands.
Ahmad said if people want to collect goods, they need to be prepared to store them indefinitely because it is unknown when families will be arriving.
