No matter what type of group you form, you are responsible for the financial support of your newcomer for a full year. Creating a Settlement Plan is a good place to begin to consider how your group will budget its money during the sponsorship period. The Settlement Plans for both Groups of Five and Community Sponsorships require you to fill out a budget chart in order to show DIRC how the group plans to budget its money. Likewise, most SAHs will need to see that a Constituent Group has a plan in place.

Cost of Sponsorship
This table can assist the sponsoring group in estimating the cost involved in sponsoring a refugee family for 12 months. Please note that it was prepared for a national audience, so do research into the cost of rent and utilities here in Ottawa to ensure you're accurately budgeted. Be sure to include the initial one-time start-up costs in the total budget. These include: one-time payment for household items, furniture, linens, food staples, clothing & winter clothing, deposit for utilities, mobile phone contracts, and first month's rent. This table includes some approximate rates and should be used only as a guideline.

Sponsorship cost table

In calculating your overall budget, factor in any in-kind donations your
group has received using the chart provided in the Settlement Plan form as
shown below. Using in-kind donations can dramatically reduce the amount of money your group has to raise. Within the limits of this table, sponsoring groups are advised to use the maximum amount, provided the donation covers the expected needs of the refugee(s).

In-kind deduction table