A B.C. church that stepped up to sponsor a Syrian refugee family says it has spent $6,000 to rent an apartment that remains empty while the family is stuck in Jordan.
Leaders from Victoria鈥檚 St. Barnabas Church say they were told in January that the Syrian family of six was close to arriving in Canada. That鈥檚 when they rented a three-bedroom apartment in the city.
But five months later, the Syrian couple and their four children remain stuck in a refugee camp in Jordan.
鈥淲e were told our folks were ready to go,鈥� said parish council member John West. 鈥淲e would really like to know where our particular family is in the line-up so we can make some plans.鈥�
A co-ordinator with the National Migration and Resettlement Program says the federal government found homes for the refugees before they鈥檇 been cleared to move to Canada. After the resettlement goal of 25,000 refugees was met in February, there have been fewer immigration staff on the ground, and some resettlement claims are taking longer.
鈥淲e鈥檝e been hearing a lot of stories about this,鈥� said program co-ordinator Brian Dyck. 鈥淚t鈥檚 easier to wait if you know how long you're going wait. If you don鈥檛 know how long we're paying rent on a place it can be really frustrating.鈥�
The church says all the confusion has led to wasted funds.
鈥淲e鈥檙e going to have to re-initiate fundraising to cover the shortfall,鈥� West said.
The church says it isn鈥檛 in a position to give up the rental after outfitting the apartment with furniture and bedding, and with Victoria鈥檚 vacancy rates hovering around 1 per cent.
鈥淣ow all we need is a family,鈥� West said.
With files from CTV Vancouver
