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CATHOLIC IMMIGRATION

CENTRE OF OTTAWA

Joël Denis, Norah Lynn Paddock, Louise Saulnier, Leslie Wong

Outline

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CIC Background

Mission: facilitates the reception of newcomers to Canada; and assists newcomers in realizing their full potential in

Canadian society.

History: Religious origins 1976: Catholic Immigration Services – Ottawa is set

up. 1978-1981: Southeast Asian refugee crises, services

number of staff expand. 1984: Agency is incorporated as an autonomous

organization - The Catholic Immigration Centre. Today, CIC continues to expand its programs and

services to meet the needs of newcomers and the Ottawa community.

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CIC Mandate - Louise Settlement

Services: Language Maison Thérèse

Dallaire (residential facility for newcomers with urgent needs )

Completing Documents

Education Employment Health

Housing Immigration Issues Money and Finances

Programs: Host Program International

Medical Doctors International Legal

Professionals Youth Centre Pastoral Help Community Projects

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Staffing/Volunteers (Q5) - Les

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Client Needs and Service Delivery

Client Profile: Over 55% are Government-Assisted Refugees

(GARs) Slightly more women than men (51% versus

49%) Majority are between 25 and 44 years of age,

often with large families Small, but growing, number of seniors

Primary Needs: Language training Housing support Employment supportGrowing number of high needs clients (e.g. refugees – especially children – and women with small children)

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Service Delivery Challenges

• Over 55% are Government-Assisted Refugees (GARs)

• Slightly more women than men (51% versus 49%)

• Majority are between 25 and 44 years of age, often with large families

• Small, but growing, number of seniors

Language Training

Employment Support

Housing Support

Primary NeedsClient Profile

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Source of Funding (Q5) - Les Background

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Funding Challenges

•Funding levels do not reflect growing demand for settlement services

Funding restrictions limit the types of services that can be provided

Reporting requirements are onerous

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Social Determinants of Health for Immigrants

Income and Social StatusSocial Support

Networks

Education and Literacy

Employment and Working Conditions

Social Environments

Physical Environments

Personal Health

Practices and Coping Skills

Biology and Genetic

Endowment

Health Child Development

Health Services

Gender

Culture

Language Skills

Migration History Immigration

Status

Health Status

????

HEALTHY IMMIGRANT EFFECT [NL: Proposed new slide]

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CIC and Social Support Networks

Social isolation and impact on health

CIC as a Social Support Network: Services to expand individuals networks

(e.g. language classes). Knowledge sharing (e.g. Federal Skills

Workers Program, federal credential recognition, and social assistance application process).

Helping themselves by helping others

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Social Support Networks: Key Obstacles and Opportunities Obstacles:

Social Networks and vulnerable populations: A problem compounded

Hip bone connected to the knee bone?

Opportunities: One part of a wider social support

network: Summerset Community Health Center, Family Services Ottawa, Ottawa legal clinics

Promising results of host program

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Social Support Networks: Policy Recommendations 1. Go right to the source – family

reunification 2. Increased support for community based

initiatives – e.g. neighborhood watch programs and food co-operatives

3. Increased support for social development activities, including intergenerational projects and cross-cultural gatherings.

4. Research recommendation: develop and test models to demonstrate a stronger link between social support networks and health benefits – e.g. gender analysis????

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Language Skills

[NL: Proposed new background slide for each social determinant of health – What does it mean? Why is it particularly relevant for newcomers?]

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CIC and Language Skills

Language is a key barrier to accessing basic support services (particularly for refugees)

Access to health services – especially mental health support - is significantly impacted by language ability Privacy concerns (e.g. children as interpreters,

volunteer interpreters part of small diaspora community)

Challenges with providing counselling through an interpreter

Language training is the most highly utilized service offered by CIC

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Language Skills: Key Obstacles and Opportunities Limited availability of translation and interpretation services through CIC

Lack of multicultural/multilingual health service providers in Ottawa

Mainstream health service providers need to become more culturally-sensitive

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Language Skills: Policy Recommendations Increase government funding for

translation/interpretation services through settlement service providers

Extend eligibility of government-funded language training to temporary residents

Develop guidelines and training to help mainstream service providers become culturally-sensitive

HOUSING – A DETERMINANT OF HEALTH The Ottawa Charter for Health Promotion

(WHO, 1986) recognized shelter as a basic prerequisite for health.

CMHC uses “core need” to assess the housing situation based on:

Affordability Suitability Adequacy

Health issues Unaffordable rent - food insecurity Overcrowding – mental health Mould – respiratory infections Premature death

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HOUSING – OBSTACLES AND OPPORTUNITIES Obstacles

Labour market barriersThe Nature of Ottawa’s economy and labour

marketThe demographic and family structure of

immigrant communitiesRacialization of economic exclusion in Ottawa

OpportunitiesReplace the aging workforceCultural and linguistic diversityEconomic growthAddress workforce gaps?

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HOUSING – POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS One Percent Solution to end the housing crisis

(TDRC, 1999) National Housing Strategy – involving all

three levels of governments Rental housing Ownership housing Social housing with mixed incomes Support for people with special needs (Layton, 2000)

Flexible capital grant program Private rental program Investment pools of money to create

affordable housing Provincial income supplement programs

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