When a door closes, a window opens …

There is so much excitement about moving to a new home. New beginnings start with a fresh coat of paint, maybe some new furniture, a new twist on décor and a whole new neighbourhood to explore.

But when that new home is 8,900km away, in a foreign country that will take the better part of two days to get to? Maybe – probably – there’s a lot more than ‘excitement’ to experience. Our refugee family has been living in a camp in Beirut, Lebanon, for how long we don’t actually even know. All we do know is that their move to Canada will take them thousands of miles away from what was their home.

Our group’s search for appropriate and affordable housing for our refugee family of four was ramped into overdrive when we learned that we could probably expect their arrival in December and not in January as originally believed. Susan and I have each spent hours sifting through property rental management company websites, Craigslist listings, Kijiji ads and tips from other group members, friends and family.

The budget is pretty tight, given our sincere hope that the family will not have to move after only a year because they can no longer afford what we’ve chosen for them. We are seeking a 2-bedroom apartment for $1,100 monthly inclusive of utilities. Of course, proximity to schools and services is of great consideration.

As the search for housing for the refugees continues, the Manotick Refugee Sponsorship Group has encountered the full spectrum from would-be landlords. There have been those unwilling to even consider refugees as tenants, cancelling viewing appointments, or simply not even returning messages. Then there are those that are truly inspired by our plans and inspired to great lengths to help us in any way possible.

And thankfully, this spectrum is heavily weighted on generosity. As our family will arrive with few material possessions most likely, the need for a vast amount of furnishings, towels and linens, kitchen goods, clothing is vast. The flood of contributions has been equally great.

We now have something to truly celebrate: thanks to some impressive searching by our wonderful leasing consultants at Minto we’ve now secured an affordable apartment for our family! A significant action item in our group’s Settlement Plan is complete. Of course, once the keys are handed to us we begin the formidable task of transforming an empty apartment into a home. This task too has recently been made easier for us thanks to a very generous anonymous donor who has offered to fully furnish the entire apartment. Living room furniture, dining room furniture, bedroom furniture, kitchenware, everything. I am still speechless!

We won’t dwell on the bias of a few when the generosity of so many is unshakeable.

By Astra Groskaufmanis