Louisa House Update
David Ramirez Bumaguin
September 20, 2024
This month we warmly welcomed two young men from Ethiopia, to Louisa Street. The keys to their rooms were a symbol of their new home in our community.
Voices of Hope, Courage, and Determination
The Working Centre
June 1, 2024
As part of the 35th Mayors’ Dinner, workers in the field of employment counselling, settlement support, shelter and homelessness supports, and workers involved in climate change and environmental projects were invited to share their experiences, stories and perspectives.
One Year at Louisa Street Hospitality House
Isaiah Ritzmann
December 1, 2023
This November we marked one year of community and hospitality at the Louisa Street Hospitality House. Over the past twelve months we’ve welcomed fifteen individuals from eight different countries seeking protection, asylum, and safety here in Canada.
Helping New Canadians Access Income Supports
Ala Abdulkarem
March 1, 2023
In September 2019 Lee entered Canada with her two children, where she claimed refugee protection a month later. With the help of some friends here and there she was able to get temporary shelter in Kitchener but soon had to move to Hamilton to find accommodation which fit within the very little amount of social assistance that she was able to access through Ontario Works.
Louisa House to Welcome Refugees
The Working Centre
December 2, 2022
The Working Centre was gifted a house on Louisa Street in the 2000’s. When The Working Centre first hosted the house, it became a place of transitional housing for women, many of whom were seeking respite as they re-established their lives after incarceration, abuse, and homelessness.
Now, this house will welcome refugee claimants who are often ending up in the shelter system due to the lack of safe affordable landing spots for people who are new to our community.
Renovations at 44-54 Queen Street South
The Working Centre
September 30, 2022
We are excited to see the new housing developing at 44-54 Queen Street South. We are making space for safe housing for immigrant and refugee women, as they settle in Waterloo Region. Much of this housing will help single refugees/immigrants with children who face stresses and losses. Affordable housing is important for settling into a new culture. Our Queen Street hub offers multiple ways of connecting to wider supports that complement these apartments.
Construction of the 21 units is progressing well – we are creating beautiful and bright loft units with generous windows. The project has moved rapidly, in spite of the regular construction obstacles.
Sanctuary Refugee Health Centre: A Community Develops Medical Supports to New Canadians
Tony D'Amato Stortz
March 1, 2019
Before she took her first breath, Margaret Brockett was fleeing war. Her family was living in the British colony of Singapore during World War Two. When it was invaded early in 1942, Margaret’s newly pregnant mother and her two young sons were on one of the last ships evacuating British women and children. “As I began to realize what she went through…” Margaret paused, then said quietly, “I gained a huge respect for my mother.”
Person-Centred Grassroots Healthcare
Tony D'Amato Stortz
March 1, 2019
The Guests of Honour at the 2019 Mayors’ Dinner are all people who did not wait for permission to do the right thing. As healthcare professionals, they saw a need in our community and took the initiative. They tackle Hepatitis C, refugee health, and primary care for those experiencing homelessness. They return day after day to do it again. Their efforts are chipping away at the major health issues in our community from the ground up, rather than the all-too-familiar route of top-down healthcare.
Building Bridges: Creating Responsive Supports for Newcomers
Kara Peters Unrau
December 2, 2017
The Working Centre’s Resource Centre at 58 Queen Street South in Kitchener is a hub of activity providing a welcoming place for people to meet, and to find support for employment, housing, finances, community involvement, and much more. Each day is another opportunity to welcome Newcomers to Canada. Resource Centre hosts greet people in English, Amharic, Arabic, Turkish, Armenian, Spanish, Urdu, Tagrinya, and French – extending hospitality in whichever common language they can find together. This often includes various attempts at a sign language, laughter and mutual listing of languages as all try to find a way to communicate together.
Supports for Refugees
Stephanie Mancini
December 2, 2016
So often, global turmoil happens at a distance. This year we have shared in the collective experience of welcoming Syrian refugees to our community – or as they really are, Arabic speaking New Canadians – people who have physically journeyed through the turmoil, war and displacement of the Middle East and have come to our community to become our neighbours.
As a community we have risen to the challenge, welcoming 1,275 new members of the Kitchener Waterloo community, providing housing, navigational supports, hospitality and friendship.
