Alina Tymoshchuk came to Canada with her family seeking refuge from the Ukrainian war three years ago.
After starting in Quebec, Tymoshchuk, along with her elderly mother and six kids moved to Kelowna where they’ve been the last two and a half years.
Last June, the family’s fresh start came to a crashing halt when Tymoshchuk and her children were involved in a serious car incident that left her unable to physically recover or work.
Because of that, the family lost their rental home in October and are currently living at a shelter. Recently, they were given a month’s notice to move out and find permanent housing.
Since then, Tymoshchuk has tried looking for a place for her family but has run into problems. She has no proof of income and landlords refuse to rent to her family because of the number of children. At the same time, child benefit payments were delayed for a long time, leaving the family without their main source.
To help, Cindy Fairs, the former housing co-ordinator at Kelowna Stands With Ukraine has started a GoFundMe to raise money for the family.
“As of today, Tymoshchuk and her family are in an extremely vulnerable situation and urgently need support, particularly in securing stable housing and ensuring safe and consistent living conditions for the children,” reads the Gofundme page.
The mother of six is trying her hardest to keep her children’s life stable, with all of them enrolled in English language classes and school.
Tymoshchuk came to Canada with the hopes of being joined by her then husband, who then later refused to come or provide any financial assistance. The full responsibility of supporting the children then fell on her.
To donate, visit https://www.gofundme.com/f/ukrainian-family-of-8-in-shelter.
As of 3 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 9, nearly $27,000 has been raised for the family. The page has a goal to raise $30,000.