The pace of Syrian refugees coming to Windsor-Essex is slowing down, but more are still on the way and officials need to be ready according to a local social worker.
Riham Al-Saadi is a case worker with the Multicultural Council of Windsor and Essex County and focused on the Syrian refugee resettlement process as guest speaker of the annual general meeting of social workers in Windsor on Thursday night.
She says nearly 600 Syrian refugees have come to the region in the early months of the year and expects the total number to reach a thousand by year's end.
"They're [refugees] just very appreciative and really, really thankful of what Canada has done for them," says Al-Saadi. "The statement I keep hearing is, 'Finally I'm safe.'"
Social worker Riham Al-Saadi (centre) attends the Ontario Association of Social Worker's annual general meeting at the Windsor Yacht Club on March 10, 2016. (Photo by Ricardo Veneza)
Al-Saadi expects more newcomers to the region as family re-unification efforts ramp up.
"As we all know, a lot of them have lost their homes. They don't have that hope to go back," says Al-Saadi. "They're just hoping to learn a lot more about our community. They're very eager to resettle immediately."
Al-Saadi says it will be crucial for social workers to know how to deal with the refugee resettlement process in both the short and long-term. However, she's confident the systems in place will be able to handle the influx of refugees.
"I'm just really impressed by our community," says Al-Saadi. "We think Windsor-Essex is just this small community, but we have seen huge success at the community level and I'm just proud of everyone."
Al-Saadi points to housing and health concerns as the major challenges in the resettlement process.
