As we welcome Spring, its flowers and new opportunities, here are a few of the important happenings at Reception House, beginning with the arrival of our new CEO.

As an Afghan refugee himself, Mr. Mawladin understands – firsthand – the difficulties newcomers face throughout their resettlement journey. He is motivated to help improve that journey for all newcomers by leveraging his 10 years of experience as Executive Director at Jane Alliance Neighbourhood Services (JANS), a charitable organization serving newcomers, immigrants, and residents of Toronto West Neighbourhoods. During his tenure at JANS, the organization was transformed from a local nonprofit to a multi service agency serving thousands of clients every year through collaborating and building strategic partnerships with local and international partners to expand and extend services beyond the organization’s traditional boundaries.

Reception House’s Board of Directors would also like to recognize Lynne Griffiths-Fulton for her steadfast leadership throughout the transition period, ensuring that the organization could not only meet its obligations to those we support, but also identifying opportunities for improvement along the way. 

“We just want to go back home”, is a refrain we often hear at Reception House. It does not reflect ingratitude to be in a place of safety, but the fact that people who arrive in our community through refugee resettlement had no choice and long for home. Refugees are forced to flee their homes due to armed conflict and persecution. And for most people, the journey to safety is fraught with all kinds of perils. At Reception House, we have the great privilege of finding ways to support the people we serve to settle, thrive and hopefully, in the long run, feel at home.

But, it is not easy. Here are just some of the obstacles that our systems present and through our services we support people to navigate and overcome:

The gaps in services in our community are going to become even more pronounced with the number of refugees Canada has pledged to resettle over the next two years. We are preparing to receive over double the average number of people and are concerned that the lack of health care providers and housing will have a serious, negative impact on our ability to meet the needs of people arriving in our community.

We are committed to working with partners in the community to address these needs for everyone, as we can also expect to see an increased need for housing, health care and financial support to cover basic needs of the anticipated influx of Ukrainians.

As we welcome Babur Mawladin to the role of CEO and I transition back to my position as Program Director, I look forward to working with program staff teams to strengthen our services and ensure that we keep the perspectives and experience of the people we serve at the centre of all we do.

The first time I heard someone say, “we just want to go back home”, was in 1985 by a classmate from Afghanistan. It is tragic that almost 40 years later refugees continue to flood out of that country with no hope of returning. I am proud that Canada is a leader on the international stage in response to refugee crises, but we need to ensure that when people arrive, we are all - at every level of government and community services - ready and able to respond.

-Lynne, Director of Programs

Majed Alhlal is proud to share his and his family’s story. After arriving in Canada, he was sad and depressed. He and his family were isolated and challenged as they tried to make Waterloo Region their home.

As a volunteer-supported organization, we know firsthand how important our volunteers are to providing a positive settlement experience for newcomers who have arrived in Waterloo Region.

As we approach National Volunteer Week in Canada, we want to take a moment and thank our volunteers for your ongoing support. You make our communities inclusive and welcoming to newcomers. Volunteering is empathy in action. Thank you.

Check out a Techbuddy volunteer success story below....

Imagine you're brand new to an area but they have public transit. You think you can get around easily. Then imagine that you aren't fluent in the language. This is where GRT's travel training program teaches community members how to use transit.

“Our relationship with GRT is so essential to helping newcomers in the region feel comfortable taking transit,” said Craig Baila, Case Manager with Reception House Waterloo Region. “It can be very daunting to step on a bus and travel to a new place you have never seen or been to before.”

To keep reading how Reception House is using this unique program to empower newcomers, visit Travel Training Connects Riders to Community.

Thank you to ToastyToesWR for your generous support!  We've begun to purchase socks for our newest neighbours! 

Thank you to the Cowan Foundation and Conestoga College for the donation of 89 ready to use laptops! These laptops will support our newest neighbours to stay connected, and access crucial information and services as they resettle in our community.