Thinking...

[lenora_rose]

So, could anyone discuss with me the merits and problems of housing a hurricane survivor in a foreign country?

You see, we have a spare room with a queen-sized bed. I was considering broaching the possibiliy to Colin (Who, after all, owns the house).

However, being in Canada, there's no chance of the person/people being able to find work without either a work visa or proper immigrant status. And what's needed, it seems to me, isn't just a roof and a shower and food and a chance to breathe and regroup, it's work, and a whole new start.

Comments

[hokelore.livejournal.com]

I think you're right, they need a chance to start over. You putting them up would just be a temporary fix.

[medievalist.livejournal.com]

A student--from Tulane or one of the other now closed universities/colleges--would be a different story, and I know Canadian universities are working on ways to take such students in--many of whom bring funding with them.

[colin-p.livejournal.com]

I must admit that the thought had flitted through my mind.

I would suspect that someone from Louisiana wouldn't be terribly interested in moving this far north (especially with winter approaching).

On the site www.katrinahousing.org in their FAQ it says:
Why are no Survivors Calling me About my Listing?
Typically, the farther you are far from the disaster area, the less likely a survivor will want to travel that far. We have thousands of listings in California or New York for example, but we doubt many of those will be used...

Who would really want to cross the border and have to deal with the hassles of two countries (immigration hassles from Canada, and I suspect the US wouldn't be freely sending financial aid to citizens living in a foreign country)? To work smoothly, it would take effort on the part of both the US and Canadian governments, and I couldn't find anything about this in my searchings through the web.

Besides, the spare bed is in your library/computer room/sewing room. I think you'd go crazy if someone were living there for months on end.

Colin (who does think it's a nice idea)

[lenora-rose.livejournal.com]

Kinda... now I have the lap top (Love-you love-you love-you) I could at least work on a computer wherever I could find space. Including out of the house if I'm really itching.