Refugee Program

Settling Newcomer Families in the Guelph Area

Danby Appliances, together with Jim Estill, the Owner and CEO, have been sponsoring refugees and supporting newcomer families since the Syrian crisis in 2015. Working in partnership with local volunteers, organizations and the federal government, Jim’s financial and ethical commitment to Do The Right Thing has helped 58 Syrian families find safety in Canada. Danby’s refugee sponsorship program continues to grow and has helped settle hundreds of newcomers from many countries around the world. Sponsorship support starts with submitting an application for a refugee family to come to Canada and continues when they arrive by helping them find and furnish homes, secure employment, and start their new lives in and around Guelph. Jim Estill, Danby and a small but mighty group of dedicated volunteers are supporting newcomer families further with the opening of the Circle Home Furniture Bank.

HOW CAN I HELP?

It truly takes the entire community to build a network of caring and compassion that will provide a sense of welcome and safety for arriving newcomers. Every person in Guelph is invited to contribute what they are able. This could be time, encouragement, support, donations, money, cultural awareness, or a friendly smile. Here are some of the ways you can help:

VOLUNTEER

Share your time and talent to be a part of welcoming and supporting newcomers. Join our warehouse team, be part of a special event or help a settlement team.

CONTRIBUTE

Your donations to the Circle Home Furniture Bank will help us provide newcomer families with furniture and housewares to establish their homes in Guelph and neighbouring communities.

DONATE

Help support us by donating to our GoFundMe campaign. 100% of funds are paid directly to refugees to help them resettle.

SHARE

Share the message with your family and friends. You can directly share to your facebook using the link below!

ABOUT JIM ESTILL

In 2015, Danby and CEO Jim Estill sponsored 50 Syrian refugees and helped them settle, find employment and begin again. Since then, Danby has assisted the Guelph community at large in the sponsorship of approx. 150 additional people from various countries around the world. It’s no surprise Danby’s tagline is “Do The Right Thing” with Jim Estill at the helm spiriting a culture of philanthropy, volunteerism and servant leadership.

OUR COMMITMENT & FAQS

In our ongoing commitment to Do The Right Thing, Danby appliances has become a Sponsorship Agreement Holder (SAH) serving our local community. A SAH is an organization that has signed a Sponsorship Agreement with the Government of Canada, as represented by the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC). This agreement allows the SAH to resettle refugees through the Private Sponsorship of Refugees (PSR) program.

Based on the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act: You can initiate resettlement for those who are in refugee-like situations outside of their own country AND outside of Canada, and their life would be at risk upon return to their homeland, AND who have no other durable solution.

No, you should not start the process if the people are still in their own country of origin. Keep in mind that they might be banned from the program if they relocate only for resettlement purposes.

The Danby SAH administers the agreement between Danby and Immigration Refugees and Citizenship and Immigration Canada (IRCC): acts as a bridge between the sponsors and the government. The Danby SAH assesses cases and processes applications.

Providing basic financial support – shelter, clothing, food, etc. and care for the resettled refugee from the welcome at the airport until the end of the sponsorship period of one year.

Cosponsors need to complete a detailed settlement Work Plan – outlining the settlement arrangements put in place for the refugees. This lays out the logistical arrangements of the resettlement, detailing who and how they will help the refugee locate suitable housing, learn the official language, get a job, open a bank account, etc.

Gather a support group – settlement lasts one year, with a large time commitment in the first 2 months for appointments, finding housing and assisting the newly arrived family. The cosponsor needs to show they have a committed group of people (family, friends, neighbours) who will be assisting them with the settlement.

Cosponsors work in tandem with the Danby SAH  both during the application process and throughout the resettlement period. This high-level of communication ensures the best possible situation for the arriving refugee.

You do need to deposit money for covering the liability established by IRCC for the resettlement process. Please be aware that it is illegal to cover the financial liability by funds from the refugees.

If the funds for resettlement have not been used within the year, then the remaining funds go back to the depositor after the resettlement process ended.

If you are granted a space a $250 administrative fee is charged per application.

You are required to deposit the funds for sponsorship at the time of submission of the application. The funds will be based on the RAP rates as determined by IRCC and are subject to change.

To work with the Danby SAH we expect at least two members of the cosponsoring team to reside in Guelph or the local area. Cosponsors that have a team of people working with them are stronger candidates to work with the Danby SAH. Cosponsors must be Canadian citizens or have permanent residence in Canada

To become a cosponsor, it is important to be informed about the program. The Refugee Sponsorship Training Program (RSTP) website provides you with current information on how to sponsor and workshops on important topics of co-sponsorship. Please take time to learn more at: http://www.rstp.ca/en/ and sign up to join their e-mail list.

If you would like to join our waiting list, please send your name and full home address to brennie@danby.com. Please note that we always have more interested cosponsors than we have spaces. Being on the waiting list does not guarantee the opportunity to become a cosponsor.

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