Service provider organizations

Moving to a new country is never easy. While refugees come seeking safety from great hardships, they often find it difficult to adapt to their new home. With funds from CIC, service provider organizations deliver many services and programs to help make it easier for newcomers to adjust to life in Canada.

In 2006, to support programs that can make a real difference for newcomers, including refugees, the Government of Canada began investing an additional $1.4 billion over five years in settlement funding across the country.

Service provider organizations offer programs that can give newcomers resources and training to live and work in Canada. Their programs really help refugees who often have a difficult time with day-to-day tasks like finding an apartment, taking public transportation, or making a doctor’s appointment.

These organizations can help refugees complete forms, get permanent resident cards, health insurance, social insurance numbers, etc. They also offer interpretation and translation services to help with such special needs as giving medical backgrounds to doctors.

One of the service provider organizations’ programs is the Immigrant Settlement and Adaptation Program. It provides orientation, advice and guidance about life in Canada and helps newcomers to access community resources and services.

While some immigrants and refugees arrive with very strong skills in English or French, others need training. Service providers offer language training services that take the needs of each person into account. This helps people develop the language skills they need to work, adapt, and be part of Canadian society.

These organizations also deliver the Host Program, which matches volunteers with newcomers (both immigrants and refugees). Hosts help link refugees with their new community, give them basic information about life in Canada, and help them build useful skills. For example, hosts may help refugees practice their English or French in a relaxed, friendly atmosphere outside of the formal setting of a classroom.

These programs give all newcomers skills and knowledge. However, resettled refugees often need more help than other immigrants. Through funding under CIC’s Resettlement Assistance Program (RAP), organizations provide government-assisted refugees with initial financial support when they get to Canada to cover essential start-up needs like food, furniture, clothing, and basic household items. RAP also helps them with temporary housing, documents, orientation, and life skills specific to their unique needs. Government-assisted refugees also get a monthly allowance for food and shelter.

Service provider organizations can help refugees overcome challenges, realize their full potential and become full contributors to Canadian social and economic life. As the director of one organization put it, “The first step is to get the refugee out of the refugee camp. Our job is to get the refugee camp out of the refugee.”

Did you know?

• In 2006, about 135,000 newcomers received settlement services from service provider organizations.
• There are 270 service provider organizations in the provinces and territories where CIC manages settlement programs.