UCC-APC Beds for Ukrainian Evacuee Youth
Posted January 18, 2023 9:34 am.
Last Updated January 18, 2023 9:35 am.
Four Edmonton organizations have joined forces to build beds for Ukrainian families who have fled their war-torn country.
The Ukrainian Canadian Congress-Alberta Provincial Council (UCC), Ukrainian Canadian Social Services and Catholic Social Services partnered with the Sleep in Heavenly Peace Strathcona Chapter to build beds for families in need.
“Beds are very expensive, so if you have two or three kids that’s a very heavy expense for someone who is just trying to build their way into Canada,” says Jamie Hanlon, a volunteer with UCC.
Hanlon says between 75 and 80 families are in need of furniture each week for their new homes, and donations are needed to bring the project to light. “These beds are handmade, they are built right here in the area by volunteers, so you need the resources, you need the materials, you need the supplies which means you need money, to begin with,” Hanlon says.
John Shalewa
As we near the one-year mark of Russia’s invasion on Ukraine, about 6,000 Ukrainians have made their war to the Edmonton area, and Stephanie Medford, Team Lead at Catholic Social Services only expects that number to rise.
“They are not treated like regular refugees, in fact, they are not legally classified as refugees, they are here on their own program, and as a result there’s a lot of things they don’t get that other refugees get. They do get a one-time federal payment from the government but then that’s it, then they’re kind of on their own,” she says.
Medford says once many Ukrainian families have found a place to call home, they often don’t have money left to spend on furnishings. “So being able to do this project is amazing because we can help them have a place to lay their heads at night, have somewhere safe and comfortable and help them feel a little bit more like they are at home in Edmonton.”
Forty beds have already been built through the program. Furniture donations for mattresses, box springs, desks and other new or lightly-used furniture will still be accepted.
