N.L. government announces more cash for Ukrainian housing, jobs
Province faces housing crunch with some still struggling to find permanent home
The government of Newfoundland and Labrador announced $11 million for Ukrainian refugees to secure permanent housing and jobs across the province on Wednesday.
With it comes some new programming, which includes the ability for property owners to list their vacant houses in a database with the Association of New Canadians so the organization can funnel Ukrainians there in an attempt to find permanent housing solutions.
Newfoundland and Labrador's tight housing market has been in the spotlight for months, with some Ukrainians telling CBC News recently there's nothing available for them after living in hotel rooms for months.
When asked if an inventory exists to support such a program, Immigration, Population Growth and Skills Minister Gerry Byrne said the idea is to "unlock housing opportunities" that exist but may not have been on the market prior.
"We have a list already of 20 … host houses looking to participate in this program," Byrne said at an employment centre in St. John's after speaking to a room filled with community groups.
"We'll use it as a pilot. We'll examine the results as we go, but I think it's an excellent opportunity in times of higher costs — rising inflationary costs — for someone to contribute to the success of Ukrainians while at the same time contribute to the fixed cost of maintaining a household."
Byrne said about 2,800 Ukrainians have come to the province since Russia's invasion in February 2022. Of those people, 1,600 have found permanent housing and none is in social housing, he said.
NDP Leader Jim Dinn says Wednesday's announcement was an acknowledgement that the minister is "way in over his head."
"He spent the last year grabbing headlines [but] didn't do the work that was needed," Dinn said.
"There are no vacancies. I can tell you what we face. It has become almost impossible to find people homes."
Moving allowances, host families
The province is also offering moving allowances for Ukrainians who do find permanent housing — $2,000 to those moving to leased accommodations within the northeast Avalon, $4,000 for moves outside of the St. John's area and $6,000 to those moving to Labrador.
Homeowners who are hosting Ukrainians can also expect a little help from the province.
Approved host families will receive $1,000 a month for up to five months while hosting Ukrainians in their homes.
The government is also issuing a $3-million call for proposals for "innovative housing projects for Ukrainians." That includes repurposing vacant property, housing repair and maintenance assistance and "co-housing" initiatives.
There's also a focus on expanding access to conversational English classes, workplace-based English support and a new program called Ukraine Job Connect to help the newcomers find jobs.
Megan Morris, executive director of the Association for New Canadians, said her organization is punching above its weight in terms of the funding it gets and the services it provides.
"We have received very high numbers of refugees, we've welcomed them, we've done tremendous work," she said.
"The funding allocation model needs to be looked at, and we're looking forward to engaging the parties around that. There's lots of work to do."
Morris said her organization just wants to make sure that any newcomer gets a safe and secure start in Canada.
"The community is quite amazing here and generous," she said.