Winnipeg church encourages people to sponsor Syrian refugees

A church in Winnipeg'sNorth Kildonan neighbourhoodis trying to quell the fears people have about sponsoring refugees to come to Canada.

Douglas Mennonite Churchhas already sponsored refugees fromSyria, Eritrea, Colombia, Sierra Leone, and the former Yugoslavia.

• Refugee crisis: Lloyd Axworthy calls for Canadian action on global crisis
• Sunday Scrum: Syrian refugee crisis's impact on the Canadian election

Heidi Reimeris the chair of the church's refugee settlement team and she saidsponsoring a family includes finding affordable housing for them with nice amenities, giving them financial support, and helping them integrate into a life in Canada.

But Reimer saidthe payoff is seeing the familiesconnect with others from their home country, and building a new life for themselves.

"What really matters to these people is the community they form and the people that surround them,"Reimer said.

"It's also about becoming a part of their community here. And it's about helping them become acclimatized to the culture."

In her experience, it's bestto expect the unexpected.

In one case thechurch sponsored a single man from Eritrea, but by the time he got here he was married with a child, Reimer said.

Some of these people come from very humble backgrounds, Reimer said,and someare very educated and have a higher standard of living in their home countries.

Reimer said watching people rebuild their lives is inspiring and really amazing.

"It's about befriending these people because they may have nobody else here."