Volunteer group secures 2 guest houses in Waterloo for Ukrainian refugees

A local volunteer group has secured two new guest houses for newly landed Ukrainian refugees arriving in Waterloo region.

One is a five-bedroom apartment, offered by a local landlord. The second is an apartment owned by Wilfrid Laurier University, a student residence, with five single bedrooms and a shared living space. Both are being rented to the group for $2,000 a month. 

"This was basically agreed upon last Wednesday and we already have people moved in yesterday and today," said Stephanie Goertz, a volunteer and founding member of Waterloo Region Grassroots Response to the Ukrainian Crisis.  

Both are short-term agreements until the end of August, said Goertz, but will go a long way in providing people with a softer landing when they arrive in the region.

When people escape the war in Ukraine and arrive in Canada, the federal government puts them up in a hotel for up to two weeks. Many are not prepared for the uphill climb that awaits, said Goertz.

"A place to live, a place to work within those two weeks?" said Goertz. "Most of us cannot find a single place to live within two weeks. Let alone a job and a place to live … without speaking English, perhaps, with having no references, maybe not having a resume, no form of transportation and very little revenue." 

Low vacancy rate in Waterloo region

Ukrainians who arrive can open a Canadian bank account and are eligible for transitional financial assistance of $3,000 per adult and $1,500 per child from the federal government, but that can take time to process, said Goertz, and there's reluctance to spend all that money in case it's needed later.

"If they don't find employment, many of them have a return ticket, or many of them are unwilling to spend the last thousand or two thousand dollars to fly back home because they see no other option." 

According to the most recent Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation numbers in October 2022, the vacancy rate in Kitchener, Cambridge and Waterloo was 1.2 per cent. The average price of a one-bedroom apartment was $1,327, while a two-bedroom apartment was $1,454. 

The rising cost of living — especially rent — has made the role of host families more important, said Goertz. 

"One of the ladies, a 60-year-old woman, was in a bus shelter when she sent me a message on Facebook and she had nowhere to go. So we rushed down and we picked her up around 11 p.m., got her to an emergency host at midnight and the next day she was with another host and her hosts are sharing, learning each others' language and meals."

Randy Kraemer, his wife and six children live north of Waterloo region, near Conestoga Lake. His family signed up to be a host family with Waterloo Region Grassroots Response to the Ukrainian Crisis months ago, but it wasn't until April that they were matched with a couple in their mid-30s. 

"It's who we are. We're called to help one another and this is one way of fulfilling that calling," said Kraemer, who is a Markham Waterloo Mennonite.

"We did not want any pets in our house, we didn't want anyone drinking or smoking, and we don't have a TV, so we had all these stipulations, I guess, and we weren't sure if anybody was actually going to come because of all that."

Hosting is 'humbling'

But Ukrainian refugees Oleks and Halyna Dovbush didn't seem to mind, he said. He had a background in welding and building; she was a seamstress. They arrived just before the Easter long weekend in April and by Monday morning, the Kraemers' friends, family and business acquaintances had come together to find the pair work and a place to live in Waterloo, close to transit. 

"That was so, so amazing. We just felt like we were part of this beautiful story. It was humbling, really," said Kraemer. "It was nothing we did — it was just God's timing. It was a beautiful thing."

Kraemer said Oleks got his G1 on Monday and Halyna is learning English in order to enter the workforce.

"They're doing very well on their own," he said. His family and the Dovbushes have visited several times in the last month. 

Goertz said her group continues to look for host families, as refugees arrive in the region several times a week. She said people don't need to worry about having only one bathroom or a dedicated kitchen for the family they're hosting. 

"They do not need a second kitchen. They don't need a second living room or extra space. Many of these guests are grateful for a bed to sleep in."