Calgary LGBTQ+ Private Sponsorship Program
The Calgary LGBTQ+ Private Sponsorship Program (also the Calgary Rainbow Railroad Station) assists refugees, persecuted in their home countries due to being LGBTQ+, to settle in Calgary after they have been assisted by the UNHCR or the Canadian Government to flee unsafe countries. We help to create sponsorship groups, find housing or shelter, food, clothing, language training, career development, and all the other things that you will need to get established in Calgary. We provide these supports using our volunteers and when we cannot provide volunteer support, then we can refer for professional settlement services to the Centre for Newcomers.
Applying to be sponsored. If you are an LGBTQ+ person and needing to flee a country due to persecution you can contact us for consideration. The foundation only accepts cases it identifies. To be considered by the foundation, a refugee must be:
- LGBTQ+,
- Outside your county of origin,
- Not in the United States where the Safe Third Country agreement applies,
- Unable to return your country and cannot find a place within your country to be safe,
- Unable to stay in your transit county permanently,
- In need of protection and have evidence that you need protection,
- Willing to wait for IRCC processing times (see IRCC’s description of the process),
- Willing to work with sponsors to complete your IRCC application; then be supported by your sponsors for 12 months after you arrive to Canada,
- Willing to learn and speak English, and
- Willing to work and support yourself in Canada.
We also want to be honest with you about applying for asylum and waiting for your case to be processed. Please read about the hard reality of applying and waiting before getting started.
If you are wishing to apply for refugee sponsorship, then you must complete this form as the first step:
Emails to the End of the Rainbow Foundation for any sponsorship request and not using the Refugee Sponsorship Review Request form and process will NOT be considered. We will not read or reply to email requests for sponsorships.
The foundation will review requests once per month. When we have availability, and for those people that fit our criteria, they will be contacted and next steps will be described to you. We only contact people that meet our criteria and when we have available sponsorship spots.
Want to help our project?
Volunteer with a Group of 5. Key to this project is the establishment of ‘groups of five’ or support/sponsorship circles. These are groups of volunteers that act as hosts to each refugee for a 12-month period. They provide social support and provide instrumental support to help the refugee get to know Canada’s traditions, local places and services, and assist in becoming established in their new home. In some cases, groups of 5 also financially sponsor the refugee, but more typically fund raising is required to ensure each refugee is supported throughout the year.
Thank you to our generous donors and partners, such as the Calgary and Area Affirming Network of Faith Communities. Without your generosity, this project would not be possible.
Please support the project by donating to End of the Rainbow Foundation at:
Or, Click here to apply to be a Volunteer
Notes:
1. For more information about a circle of support, it means to help refugees through a group of 5 volunteers, i.e. for a description, see: Groups of Five
We will do our best to support refugees through our many volunteers by:
2. Providing the necessities of life include food, shelter, and clothing;
3. Teaching new immigrants or refugees to speak English;
4. Providing training to new immigrants or refugees on how to find employment; and
5. Training to help new immigrants or refugees to settle in Canada.
