YMCA teams up with County to help Ukrainian refugees find permanent housing
The YMCA of Simcoe Muskoka is continuing its efforts to provide support to Ukrainian refugees looking for permanent housing in Simcoe County.
For much of the last year, approximately 60 people who fled Ukraine in the wake of the Russian invasion of their country have been living at the IOOF Senior's Home in Barrie. The site had an empty building as it was slated for demolition.
"It's been great to have kids around the building, to see them running around," said Garry Hopkins, the CEO of IOOF Barrie. "It's been great to see some of the families starting to feel some comfort and starting to get over some of the stresses they've been experiencing, so it's been an amazing experience."
However, with that building set to be demolished in the coming weeks, those families were told they had to find a permanent housing solution by June 30.
"The YMCA of Simcoe Muskoka has taken a lead role in finding housing and working with the families and the individuals to find permanent living situations that fit their needs and what they are looking for in terms of housing," said Dave Hamilton, the YMCA's immigrant services team leader.
To meet the demand, the YMCA hired a housing coordinator, a new position meant to streamline the process and achieve maximum success.
"I've been working as a settlement council for 13 years, so I know this community quite well," says Yana Skybin, who transitioned to the new role of housing coordinator. "I'm supporting these individuals with multiple needs like applying; I've been calling, applying for retention fund or talking to people like, say, somebody who asks can you please call with me because I'm not able to understand what I'm being told."
The work is very personal for Skybin, who is Ukrainian and has family in the war-torn nation. Most individuals housed at the IOOF Senior's Home have found permanent solutions. As of Monday, only 8 out of 61 needed a home, with five choosing not to ask the YMCA for assistance.
"It's really the community's support that I can attribute all that success," said Skybin. "It's private real estate agents and the partners that were already involved, and definitely, the media helped because we had a lot of individuals just reaching out to us."
Svitlana Kalachnyk moved into her new home last month thanks to help from the YMCA. She has found a home in the south end of Barrie that she's sharing with two other families she met while staying at the IOOF.
"I'm full of happiness to be here," said Kalachnyk. "I have never felt so much support from people as in Canada."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Spectacular aurora light show to be seen across Canada Friday night
A rare and severe solar storm is expected to bring spectacular displays of the northern lights, also known as aurora borealis, across much of Canada and parts of the United States on Friday night.
Which Canadian cities have the highest and lowest grocery prices?
Where you live plays a big factor in what you pay at the grocery store. And while it's no secret the same item may have a different price depending on the store, city or province, we wanted to see just how big the differences are, and why.
McGill University seeks emergency injunction to dismantle pro-Palestinian encampment
McGill University has filed a request for an injunction to have the pro-Palestinian encampment removed from its campus.
Swarm of 20,000 bees gather around woman’s car west of Toronto
A swarm of roughly 20,000 bees gathered around a woman’s car in the parking lot of Burlington Centre.
U.S. says Israel's use of U.S. arms likely violated international law, but evidence is incomplete
The Biden administration said Israel's use of U.S.-provided weapons in Gaza likely violated international humanitarian law but wartime conditions prevented U.S. officials from determining that for certain in specific airstrikes.
Barron Trump declines to serve as an RNC delegate
Former U.S. President Donald Trump's youngest son, Barron Trump, has declined to serve as a delegate at this summer’s Republican National Convention, according to a senior Trump campaign adviser and a statement from Melania Trump's office.
Mother assaulted by stranger while breastfeeding baby in her car: Vancouver police
A person was arrested in East Vancouver Thursday after allegedly entering a car while a mother was breastfeeding her four-month-old boy.
'We have laws': Premier Smith says police action justified in Calgary
The actions, including the decision to use non-lethal force, to disperse pro-Palestinian protesters from the University of Calgary campus were justified, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith said Friday.
'State or state-sponsored actor' believed to be behind B.C. government hacks
The head of British Columbia’s civil service has revealed that a “state or state-sponsored actor” is behind multiple cyber-security incidents against provincial government networks.