FCJ REFUGEE CENTRE: AN INTEGRATED MODEL OF REFUGEE CLAIMANT SETTLEMENT

FCJ REFUGEE CENTRE:

AN INTEGRATED MODEL OF

REFUGEE CLAIMANT SETTLEMENT

WHO WE ARE:• non-profit organization which serves

refugees and others at risk due to their immigration status

• We welcome anyone asking for advice, counsel and support regarding these issues

We address systemic issues that newly arrived refugee claimants face in Canada including lack of

resources, marginalization, and discrimination.

Who We AreWe provide

transitional housing for woman refugee claimants, uprooted women and their children

We encourage people to pursue their claims in ways that contribute to their success

Provide shelter for women and children

The FCJ Refugee Centre has a mandate to:

We provide affordable housing to newcomer women and their children

Our Integration program:

Assist refugees and other uprooted people to adjust to Canadian society

Mandate

PhilosophyProvide orientation in a supportive community

Help refugees and/or any uprooted person to become productive members of society

PhilosophyHelps them avoid falling into a cycle of poverty and dependence on the welfare state.

Follows the journey that refugee claimants make as a continuum from the time they make the claim at the border until they become a permanent resident of Canada

Structure

Board of Directors with a strong vision about the work of refugee organizations

a strong vision about the work of refugee organizations

Staff and volunteers who are able to make this vision a reality

People who support the vision through their generous donations

Operating a project like the FCJ Refugee Centre requires:

The programs:

Integration

Protection

Networking

Administration and Fundraising

Popular Education

Our Integration program:

Information – sharing, counseling and referrals to mental health services as well as training in income generation, for example through small craft sales

Women’s programs: These have included ongoing groups for support and

Our Integration program: Education, counseling and other support

services: including interpretation and translation services, referral to legal assistance and other social services, employment, training, as well as workshops on life in Canada, in order to assist people as they adjust to Canadian society.

PROTECTION PROGRAMThis component involves inland activities related

to case work at every step of the refugee or immigration determination process.

From information-gathering delegations to other countries, to collaborations with local NGOs, all activities are geared toward greater access and equity.

Popular Education

Workshops to: frontline workers and

refugees

Popular Education

Website—a resource for frontline workers and refugees (www.fcjrefugeecentre.org)

Refugee Update – a newsletter

Practical networking: on-going legal support for refugee frontline workers and refugee claimants.

Members of coalitions dedicated to making the refugee process more just and more humane. (CCR, OCASI,TRAC, etc.)

Grassroots analysis of the immigration and refugee situation in Canada

Encourage people to advocate on behalf of refugees through mass media (interviews, etc.)

Networking