February 12, 2024
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Canadian Private Sponsorship
What is Private Sponsorship of Refugees?
There are many places around the world where coming out isn’t safe for LGBTQI+
people. Places where living authentically is difficult and dangerous due to state-
enabled homophobia and transphobia.
Rainbow Railroad’s Private Sponsorship Program (PSR) collaborates with organizations and settlement teams to support LGBTQI+ newcomers as they resettle in Toronto.
Individuals eligible for this program must meet the definition of a Convention refugee.
PSR is the only option for refugees who cannot return to their home country due to anti-LGBTQI+ persecution, and also cannot integrate in the country they currently reside in.
What is the role of a settlement team?
Every queer person deserves to find home, belonging, and freedom. Made up of volunteers, a settlement team supports an LGBTQI+ newcomer as they resettle in Toronto.
This process involves:
- Fundraising to provide support for a newcomer’s arrival, and to support their first year in Canada
- Getting matched with a newcomer, coordinating temporary housing in advance of their arrival, and welcoming them at the airport when they arrive
- Helping them to access necessary social services, employment resources, and public benefits, fostering social connections, and orienting them to their new community
- Rainbow Railroad provides support through the application processes and offers resources to help the LGBTQI+ newcomer resettle and adjust to their life in Toronto.
A volunteer’s contribution can make a monumental difference in the life of an LGBTQI+ newcomer.
Newcomer Profile: Umar’s Story
Settling into life in Toronto, Umar reflects on the challenges he continues to face, while looking forward to the future he imagines for himself.
“We, as Black queer people, we have to keep pushing for the world to know our stories.”
Growing...
My Path to Sponsoring an LGBTQI+ Refugee with Rainbow Railroad
Thirty years ago, I escaped the war in Bosnia and started a new life, first in the US then in Canada. Now, I’m in a position to help.
Almost 30 years ago, a group of compassionate people came together to help me escape the war in...
February 15, 2024
Finding Home & Creating Belonging
Longjones is a volunteer for Rainbow Railroad’s Communities of Care program. Based in Boston, he is part of a Private Sponsorship Group (PSG) with four other community members who are welcoming an LGBTQI+ newcomer through Welcome Corps. Below, he...
February 12, 2024
