Many Quebecers mobilized to welcome Ukrainians, as evidenced by the proliferation of self-help groups on social networks. But without help from the government, which does not coordinate these spontaneous actions, do these good Samaritans really know what they are getting into?
” Hello ! My name is Yuliya and we are a family of 4 from Kharkiv, Ukraine. We want to come to Canada. So begin many messages from Ukrainians who unpack their little family history on various Facebook groups in the country in the hope of finding a host family. And almost instantaneously, dozens, even hundreds, of replies — “I have two bedrooms and children the same age as yours.” » or « Me, I have a chalet to lend! – appear under the publication in a sort of seduction operation. Needless to say, the generosity of Quebecers has been there since the outbreak of the war.
Émilie Dubé, a mother from Amos, won this funny lottery. With her husband and children, she is preparing to soon welcome Kateryna, a psychologist by training, who will come with her 4-year-old daughter, Arina, and her aunt, Vera.
A little gropingly, Émilie Dubé signed up for the now very popular “Canada — Host Ukrainians / Hébergeons les Ukrainiens”, a Facebook group created at the start of the conflict by a Quebec lawyer, which now has more than 47,000 members. “At the beginning, there was a form that we could fill out and we were told that it would be given to the government when the organizations took the offers from the [Ukrainiens] “, she explains. However, there was never any question of the government setting up a twinning program of this kind, several generous donors have learned the hard way.
From contact to contact, Émilie Dubé ended up being referred to a group from Rouyn-Noranda that had already taken steps to welcome a family. “It helped me for some steps because I could at least see how it worked,” she says. In the meantime, after reading Kateryna’s post on the Facebook group, she had written her a note, like a bottle in the sea among hundreds of others. “She answered me. I did not harass her, insists Émilie Dubé. She wanted to move to a small town to be safe, and her daughter has asthma. I told him that in Abitibi, the air and the water were pure […] »
The challenges of aid
For this mother who works in a cinema in Amos, it is above all her feeling of helplessness that made her take action. “When I thought of that, my heart twisted inside,” she said. I can’t afford to give a lot of money, but giving my time and kindness I can do. »
This desire to want to do his part, the psychiatrist Nicolas Bergeron, ex-president of Médecins du monde Canada, understands it very well. Just remember the time of the boat people to see that the hospitality of Quebecers is not new, he suggests. But there is a danger of idealizing this aid. Because people are not always well prepared.
“People mean well, but are they well aware that, for example, this support could be spread over two years instead of a few months? » advances the Dr Bergeron. Some host families may also not be well equipped to help people who have experienced war-related trauma, he adds. “It’s okay for one family to decide to accompany another, but they mustn’t take everything on their shoulders. »
According to Stephan Reichhold, director of the Roundtable of Organizations Serving Refugees and Immigrants, the main challenge is to properly support Ukrainians in all stages of their settlement. “When they arrive, they don’t know all the services available to them,” he notes, adding that it is the host organizations that have this expertise. We must help them find work and housing, enroll in school and francization, obtain financial assistance and health insurance […] “Do people know that the open work permit does not give access to daycare [subventionnées] or family allowances? »
A great resourcefulness
A teacher in the Outaouais, Chantale Cyr had not measured the magnitude of the task and admits having hit a few “small walls”. She was unable to accompany a Ukrainian family to complete the visa application forms. “I couldn’t afford to make a mistake when writing the name of a city or a street. We tried to hire a translator, but we had to give up. It was really complicated,” she says, explaining that these Ukrainians had to fend for themselves.
People mean well, but are they well aware that, for example, this support could be spread over two years instead of a few months?
For the rest, there is the D system and the self-help groups on Facebook, like the one she administers for the people of Gatineau. People can ask questions and exchange useful information there, which nevertheless requires some management. On the other hand, to find a pair of arms or material resources, these groups work miracles. “Yesterday, I announced that a child needed school effects, and this morning, we already have everything necessary. People are just waiting for that, to help! »
Émilie Dubé considers herself “lucky” to live in the era of Google translation and other online tools. This is what makes her and Kateryna communicate every day, one and the other having no common language to speak to each other. “We had all kinds of discussions on FaceTime. I showed him our house, the future school of the little one…”
Although she feels prepared, Émilie Dubé remains well aware that this support process could stretch over time. “I was told that I had to expect people to be with us from six months to two years. My spouse and I are okay with that, ”she assures. “I always told them they could change their minds and go somewhere else if they wanted to. But we already consider them as new members of the family. »