Welcome House serves the vulnerable
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Dear CCI Friend,
Affordable housing is a challenge for many Canadians. There’s a lack of new rental buildings being built. And there’s an increasing number of rental units being used as Airbnb’s. In fact, a recent
Globe and Mail story
indicated Airbnb kept 31,000 homes off the long-term rental market.
Now imagine you are a refugee who has recently settled in Ottawa. Your determination and resiliency has got you this far, but now, in addition to the challenges of settling in a new country, you struggle to find an affordable home for you and your family.
For refugees arriving in Ottawa, there is hope. Welcome House, the latest addition to the CCI family, celebrated its grand opening last week. It’s an apartment building in Ottawa South that provides transitional housing for refugees.
Since December, we have provided housing to 46 families ( 206 people) and found long-term housing for 28 families.
We could not have made Welcome House a reality without a generous contribution from the Portuguese Community. At our grand opening, we unveiled a plaque that honours their generosity. I can’t say thank you enough to the Portuguese community.
We also want to thank the City of Ottawa for all of their hard work in making this new home a reality.
In the coming months, I’ll share with you some of the exciting work we are doing at Welcome House.
Kindest regards,
Carl Nicholson
Executive Director
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Young newcomers race for CCI Ottawa
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We want to share with you the success our youth team had in last month’s Ottawa Race Weekend event.
This was our first year and we are so proud of what our team accomplished in a few weeks. None of the young racers had participated in the event before. It was also their first time fundraising.
During the weeks leading up to the event, we saw their confidence grow. One young man raised more than $400 for CCI in two days.
For the youth, it was an opportunity to develop their leadership skills, gain self-assuredness, make friends, and have fun. We can’t wait for next year!
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Meet the people delivering services at CCI
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Each month, we want to introduce you to a member of your CCI family.
Ana is a youth employment counsellor. She guides young newcomers in their quest to find that first Canadian job. Maybe it’s in a coffee shop after school or their first full-time job after graduation.
She teaches them how to prepare a resume and search for jobs online. She helps them prepare for jobs with mock interviews. As part of the employment team, she holds monthly seminars on a variety of work topics, from how to read a pay stub to knowing your employment rights.
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New statistics from the United Nations revealed that by 2018 a record 71 million people were displaced worldwide by war, persecution and other violence.
If the number of people displaced formed their own country, they would be the 20
th
largest country on the planet.
The UN report also provided poignant individual stories of people struggling to survive by crossing rivers, deserts, seas, fences and other barriers, natural and man-made, to escape government oppression, gang killings, sexual abuse, militia murders and other such violence at home.
Syrians continue to make up the largest population of forcibly displaced people, at some 13 million.
Canada took in 28,100 of 92,400 refugees who were resettled in 25 countries last year. The vast majority of displaced people either move to neighbouring countries or locate elsewhere in their home country.
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Welcome Ottawa Week underway
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Do you want to be part of a more welcoming community? Then check out the many events during Welcome Ottawa Week (WOW).
WOW continues until June 30. It's an annual, two-week-long series of dialogues, cultural and celebratory events, sports activities, documentary screenings, and other fun events designed to convey the genuine welcome and hospitality of Ottawa to newcomers. It provides opportunities for quality interactions among residents, long-term and new.
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The power of monthly giving
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Thank you for supporting refugees and immigrants. Your support means so much to the people who come to Ottawa to escape war, violence and poverty.
But did you know you can have a greater impact by becoming a monthly donor? Making a donation once a month adds up to a big impact by the end of the year.
A monthly donation also provides stability and predictability for you and CCI. It's easy to sign up and is a more affordable way to give that adds up over time.
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on your social media feeds or with a friend!
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