The six-member Sridah family are Island bound after members of the Oceanview Community Church in Ladysmith were able to secure accommodations for at least a year. (submitted photo/NanaimoNewsNOW composition)

By Alex Rawnsley

HOME AWAY FROM HOME

Syrian refugee family cleared to arrive after long-term accommodations found

Nov 25, 2021 | 2:29 PM

LADYSMITH — The final piece to a puzzle years in the making is finally in place

Oceanview Community Church in Ladysmith has worked for the last three years to privately sponsor a Syrian refugee family in their quest to escape violence in their home country by moving to Vancouver Island.

Darin Phillips, lead pastor at the church, told NanaimoNewsNOW they’ve finally secured a three bedroom, half-duplex in north Duncan to rent for the Sridah’s beginning Dec. 1.

“[The owner] really seemed to have a heart and identified that these people had been through a lot and this was a great opportunity to give them a good start.”

Phillips called securing a rental “a miracle”, with dozens of dead ends across the central Island.

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At one potential rental site, church members were told the owners would place the family on a wait list of 1,400 people.

The home for Farzat and Einas Sridah, along with their three daughters under 10 and infant son is located within walking distance to grocery and other retail stores in the north end of Duncan, as well as a short transit ride to their English lessons.

Oceanview Community Church raised over $58,000 through various fundraising events and private donations. The private sponsorship program means the church is responsible for supporting the family for up to a year.

The Sridah’s are currently in Turkey ahead of a move to Vancouver Island.

They will quarantine at a separate home in Ladysmith for two weeks before moving into their new, permanent accommodations.

The big question is when they’ll arrive.

“The government won’t tell us. They just say ‘we’ll let you know when it’s going to happen’. It’s a very, very tricky thing.”

Uncertainty around the arrival date puts the church on the financial hook for a rental for at least a month before the family arrives.

As NanaimoNewsNOW first reported in early November, the Sridah’s will also get the opportunity to reunite with the Daboul’s on their arrival into Canada.

The wives of the respective families are sisters and were separated upon their escape from Syria.

Yassin and Yusra Daboul, along with their children, arrived in Nanaimo from Jordan in November 2016, lived and worked in the community for two years before moving to Vancouver where they currently reside.

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alex@nanaimonewsnow.com

On Twitter: @alexrawnsley