Dear Editor,
A recent media article detailed the plight of a family of Syrian refugees who have settled in Richmond.
Their integration into the community, and ability to obtain employment, has suffered a setback because of a nine-month wait to commence English language instruction.
S.U.C.C.E.S.S., which manages the government-sponsored language training, has more than 150 people on its waiting list, including refugees.
Of course, funding for refugee settlement services is the mandate of the federal government.
But it seems a travesty that, while our refugees struggle to begin their new lives here, the prosperous City of Richmond has millions to spare to build floating docks, or $30,000 to send a civic official overseas to sign an agreement to spend another $600,000 to bring one tall ship over for a festival.
The City of Richmond has a $3 million “community initiatives fund,” and I know where I would rather see the initiative be taken to enhance my community.
How about re-directing a few thousand of those dollars to ensure that refugees who settle in Richmond receive prompt language training, regardless of which level of government’s responsibility it supposedly is.
K A Hogarth
Richmond
