Provide Housing; Ukrainians Homeless in Ontario

Millions of Ukrainians have fled Ukraine uncertain of their future only to arrive in Ontario and become homeless or return to Europe with less hope.

Help us expand our volunteer Ukrainian Support Program. We are community members that know we can make a difference but we need your help.

The story of the Kosenko family with 4 children illustrates how difficult it is for Ukrainians to decide to move, even when they live in the most dangerous city in Ukraine - Kharkiv, which is bombed several times a day. This family came to Canada from Kharkiv for the second time and is settling in Waterloo for the second time. Grassroots volunteers help with transporting belongings, professional courses for the mother, finding a family doctor for the whole family, and many other social connections.

Alina's story - a grieving Ukrainian mother whose husband died in a car accident before reaching Canada, when Alina was 7 months pregnant - shocked us to the core. Alina gave birth to a girl in mid-April a whole month prematurely due to emergency surgery for appendicitis. The single mum now lives in our guest house in Maryhill and our volunteers help her 24/7.

Because of donations we have been able to help provide shelter and support to the senior women sitting in the bus shelter in the rain, two senior men with no family, dozens of lone young adults (17-24), the couple with an infant sleeping in the bus station, the man sleeping at the airport who had all of his belongings stolen, as well as hundreds of single mothers with children.

We know there are more people we can help but we need to ensure we have the money to do it. Right now we have yet to turn anyone away.

Ukrainians are not entering Canada as Refugees. They do not receive the same financial or housing support. The Federal government only provides 14 days in a hotel (if rooms available) after the 14 days they are on their own.

Currently because so many are entering Canada most singles and couple are being told there is no room for them at the free hotels. This leads them to sleep the airport, enter Ontario's homeless shelters, or to use what ever savings they have to pay for a hotel with the hope they will find a job and housing within the next week.

Volunteers within Waterloo Region have already helped provide shelter to over 875 people. We have over 850 volunteers plus partnerships with local settlement/employment services, service clubs, community members and churches but this isn't enough.

In most of our locations Ukrainians can access support from local volunteers in the areas of housing, translation, documentation, transportation, food, clothing, social support, English lessons, employment and much more.

Our goal is to raise $200,000 in 2 months so that we can offer housing and support to people in need.

Your donation is a lifeline, a symbol of solidarity and hope. Let's stand together, showing that compassion and love can change the lives of those who have lost so much.

About Grassroots Response to the Ukrainian Crisis:

Our group of volunteers started at the end of February 2022 with a single person deciding that our communities could come together to help Ukrainians in need.

Our volunteers originally focused on finding host families. Over the last 2 years we have been able to connect Ukrainian newcomers to over 200 hosts with some hosting over 5 times. Last February we started our first project to provide housing and support to Ukrainian newcomers ourselves. Since this time, we have been able to start up and work with communities to create over 15 locations with others starting soon.

So far, we have received over 1,700 requests for help from families/individuals equaling over 4,200 people. We are now receiving around 8 requests a day.

Visit our website to find other options for donating. A charitable receipt can be provided if you donate through one of these other options. https://www.wrgrassrootsresponse.ca

How The Money Will be Spent

A majority of the money raised will be used to rent spaces for Ukrainians to live in.

To ensure we surround these houses with local support networks and employment opportunities we will also use the money raised to hire additional staff. All of our staff are Ukrainian newcomers and through this employment they can start their journey towards Permanent Residency.

Through our partnerships we find donations of furniture, clothing and essential items but sometimes money may need to be used on shared food items, hygiene products, and clothing that should be bought new (like underwear) :)

Donations are needed to help ensure Ukrainians fleeing war do not become homeless in Ontario. Your donations will be directly used to ensure we can support as many people as possible with housing, social support and employment right away.

Help Build the Network Across Ontario

Our volunteers are made up of everyday people. Word of mouth is our best marketing tool. We need volunteers across Ontario to reach out to us and invite us to help create housing and support for Ukrainians in their area. We need churches, services clubs, and groups to reach out to offer social support and we need landlords to offer housing for free or at a discounted rate.

Visit our website for more information www.wrgrassrootsresponse.ca

Biography About the Founder and Leader

Stephanie graduated from the University of Waterloo with a Bachelors of Arts in 2006. She was hired by the Toronto Police Service in 2007 as a Constable and spent three years as a Crime Analyst. In 2015 she quit the police force and started her own event planning business focused on community wellbeing. Between 2019 and 2023 she volunteered in numerous ways: Policy and Program Lead of the Wilmot Horticultural Society, Chair of the Food System Roundtable of Waterloo Region for 2 years, Co-lead of 50by30WR, Kitchener-Conestoga Green Party Constituency Association & Electoral District Association, Policy Committee Lead and Youth Advocates advisor for the Nith Valley EcoBoosters, Board member of Gravel Watch Ontario and volunteer with Citizens for Safe Ground Water, Wilmot Ecumenical Working Group for Indigenous & Settler Relationships, Sir Adam Beck School Council: Greening Team Lead, Waterloo Region Health Coalition, Faith Climate Justice, Green WR, Waterloo Region Community Garden Network. She also ran in the 2019 Federal Election for the Green Party and in 2022 for the Wilmot Municipal Election.

In Feb 2022 when the war on Ukraine started Stephanie knew she had to use her community building experience to mobilize her local community of Wilmot into action. She did not realize that this action would lead to the group of volunteers expanding quickly across the Region of Waterloo and now into Ontario.