Nura is an outgoing young woman who likes to talk and interact with people.  Born in Somalia, she was forced to flee persecution.  After four years in exile, she was recently resettled to Canada by the government.

In Canada, Nura found a new home in Winnipeg – where it is cold, but people are very friendly.  Despite her limited English, she enjoys interacting with people.  Nura’s goal is to learn English as quickly as possible and to find decent work.  In the meantime Nura depends on government assistance.

Monthly budget
Income	$667
Expenses:
Rent	$360
Hydro	$20
Other	$287
Total	$667
Loan payment:	$90

As a single person, Nura receives $667 a month from the Resettlement Assistance Program  (RAP). She pays $360 in rent (the minimum cost for bachelor apartment in the city).  $20 a month go towards  Hydro bills.  That leaves $287 for food, transportation (bus pass), telephone, cable and cleaning supplies.  Nura would like to be able to send money to her family overseas, who think that since she is in Canada she must be rich.  But she doesn’t have enough for her basic needs, let alone to send money back home.  Recently, Nura went to see her settlement counsellor about using the food bank, because she has run short of food.

Not long ago Nura received a letter from the government saying that she should start paying $90 a month to pay off her transportation loan before interest starts to be charged.  She took the letter to her settlement counsellor to find out what it was. When the settlement counsellor translated the letter to her, she got up from the chair, sat down on the floor and started crying in front of him.

She asked her settlement counsellor how she would be able to live in Canada. She requested him to send her back to any country where she could be safe. 

She asked her counsellor to tell the government that she appreciates what they did for her. However, she cannot pay this loan at the present time.  If the government wants to arrest her she is more than willing to go jail.

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