A Syrian refugee family now has a place to live thanks to the efforts of two community groups in Halifax.

Khabat Alissa, his wife Jin and son Jon, are settling into a two bedroom apartment in the Clayton Park area after being told earlier in the week they had nowhere to live.

When the family first arrived on Tuesday, they were forced to stay with a relative because there was no housing for them.

'It's a miracle, it truly is'

A group of neighbours known as the Rockingham Residents Association raised $25,000 to bring the Alissa's to Canada and had an apartment ready for them. But the family's arrival kept getting delayed and after five months the rental company filled the apartment with other tenants.

After the family finally arrived, the association was left scrambling to find housing for the trio. Renee Field, chair of the association, said the group was eventually contacted by the All Saints Cathedral Group. They had a fully furnished apartment that was set up for their own refugee family that has yet to arrive.

The Alissa family poses for a photo with a relative at the Halifax aiport. Jin is on the left as is her son Jon, the family relative is in the centre and Khabat is on the right. (Rockingham Residents Association Facebook page)

"It's a miracle, it truly is," said Field. "I thought this whole weekend I would be scrambling with our committee to find pickup trucks, because we don't have trucks to get supplies into an apartment."

"It would have been a huge scramble. I don't think they would have gotten into an apartment for at least another week."

'They just kept saying thank-you, thank-you'

The owners of the apartment, Southwest Properties, are also giving the family the discount it had promised the All Saints Cathedral Group, said Field.

The apartment costs $664 a month and includes heat, water and lights. Field said that's a 25 per cent discount.

When the family was shown their apartment on Friday, Field said their response was overwhelming.

"Jin, the woman, the wife, just tears were in her eyes and they just kept saying thank-you, thank-you," said Field. "They just were really over the moon. It was so uplifting."

'That kindred spirit of people wanting to help other people'

As soon as the All Saints Cathedral Group's family arrives, the Rockingham Resident's Association will do everything it can to help get them get settled, said Field.

"The generosity of this group has been just amazing and it just does really show you kind of that kindred spirit of people wanting to help other people."

The Alissa's moved into their apartment on Friday.