Jenviev Azzolin, far right, with the WeHost team
“As an entrepreneur, I don’t have lots of money to donate and I figured that my time and effort could be better spent actually doing something that could enable others to help, too,” she says.
Drawing on her experience with startups like PPL CONNECT, Azzolin and her fellow co-founders developed WeHost in response to the need to help in a meaningful way.
“Anybody with a place to accommodate somebody is able to open up their home to give refugees a temporary home here,” says Azzolin. “It’s very empowering to Canadians to be able to take action.”
The technology-enabled grassroots effort seems to have struck a chord with Canadians, and the response so far has been overwhelming. The site, which went live November 23, already has more than 500 registered users from across the country ready to host one or more refugees, which translates to upwards of 1,500 temporary spaces for government and privately sponsored refugees.
Before launching WeHost, Azzolin pitched the idea directly to Quebec International Relations Minister Christine St-Pierre and Federal Heritage Minister Mélanie Joly, who both loved the idea. She’s also been working with refugee resettlement groups here in Canada and abroad to help connect local hosts with refugees arriving to Canada.
Although hosts are only expected to accommodate guests for up to two months as a way to help newcomers get on their feet, the chance to have a warm welcome and the opportunity for cultural exchange can set the tone for the course of many new lives in Canada.
“Of course there are costs in terms of the sacrifice you’ll make,” says Azzolin. “Yet, tangibly, you’re actually helping somebody one to one, human to human.”