Multiple local families signing up to house Ukrainian visitors

Southwestern Ontario residents are signing up to help families coming to Canada from Ukraine.

“There is a long list of people who have signed up and left their contact information with London Ukrainian Centre,” says Volodymyr Vorobets, president of the London Ukrainian Centre.

“People who live in London and around the city and are willing to accept families in their homes.”

One of the couples who have expressed interest in helping is Carla and James Rankin of Petrolia, Ont.

With four grown children, the empty nesters have two open bedrooms in the upstairs of their home.

“We have a king-sized bed which folds into two single beds, as well as a queen-sized bed with a crib,” says Carla Rankin.One of the two bedrooms the Rankin family of Petrolia, Ont. is willing to give to a Ukrainian family coming to Canada. (Brent Lale / CT London)

“If we get a mom that has been displaced, perhaps a couple of small children, we have a safe place for them to sleep. We also have a toy room also that is well equipped with lots of toys.”

Carla immigrated to Canada, as a teenager and her daughter also has been to Ukraine through missions at her church.

“We have lots of friends who have immigrated to Canada and we thought, you know, this is a chance for us to help,” says James Rankin.

“Our daughter has a real huge compassion and I think it kind of rubbed off on my husband and I,” says Carla Rankin.

“When we heard about the war and so many women displaced with children in tow, we just knew we had to help. It's good to donate, but sometimes you have to put boots on the ground and be the hand and feet to help out.”

The Rankin family aren’t sure how many refugees they’ll be housing, how they’ll end up in Petrolia, or when they would be here, but expect they could arrive in a couple of weeks.

As it sits right now, the federal government programs and process is still evolving.

These refugees are considered visitors, there is no financial incentive to house Ukrainians.

The process is different than traditional refugee so the government is not providing them with housing, and vetting will be determined by group or organization that is coordinating their temporary resettlement.

“The best thing would be that war would be done,” says James.

“They could stay where they wanted to, or go where they want it to, but we're willing to take whatever way it goes”.

Vorobets says he’s received a number of phone calls directly from Poland and Germany from families willing to come to London.