Catholic Centre for Immigrants, Ottawa

Transcription

1 Catholic Centre for Immigrants, Ottawa Annual Report Annual General Meeting November 27, 2013

2 TABLE OF CONTENTS PRESIDENT S REPORT... 3 EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR S REPORT... 5 INTEGRATION AND SUPPORT SERVICES (SETTLEMENT DEPARTMENT)... 7 MAISON SOPHIA HOUSE (RECEPTION HOUSE)... 8 COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS PROGRAM THE YOUTH PROGRAM COMMUNITY INTEGRATION NETWORK (CIN) COMMUNITY CUP PROGRAM THE PASTORAL PROGRAM THE SPONSORSHIP PROGRAM CAREER TRANSITIONS FOR INTERNATIONAL MEDICAL DOCTORS OTTAWA LOCAL IMMIGRATION PARTNERSHIP COUNCIL (OLIP) THE CATHOLIC CENTRE FOR IMMIGRATION FOUNDATION CANADA CENTRE TREASURER S REPORT Page 2

3 PRESIDENT S REPORT CATHOLIC CENTRE FOR IMMIGRANTS ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING 2013 LARRY HILL In the coming year we are going to be celebrating 60 years serving newcomers to Ottawa. Our ability to effectively serve our newest community members is all about human capital. The Catholic Centre for Immigrants has outstanding staff members and dedicated volunteers who allow us to fulfill our mission to provide newcomers with every opportunity to realize their full potential. Canada s settlement services environment is changing rapidly with the new government settlement services model along with diminishing funding. The Catholic Centre for Immigrants Board of Directors remains committed to ensuring that the organization is positioned to take advantage of new opportunities to best serve our current and future clientele. The Board of Directors continues to provide the Catholic Centre for Immigrants with strategic accountability and direction. We recently completed a process to ensure that we are receiving the most effective auditing services. This will continue to ensure organizational effectiveness and stability are supported and financial risk is minimized. Staff employment contract models were reviewed and enhancements made. Our search for ways to increase our capacity for accepting new clients resulted in our decision to invest in our current inventory of properties. We are completing preparations for significant renovations to Maison Sophia House that will enhance our ability to serve. Our ability to provide services is not restricted to physical buildings and spaces. We are reviewing and updating our current on-line presence to provide better connections with both current and prospective clients. The Canada Centre achieved charitable status this year and this signaled our continued commitment to a more efficient structure of property ownership. This will allow us to ensure that our programs receive the maximum funding resources available. In the meantime we continue to receive and provide for government sponsored refugees. We have recently signed an agreement with the Tibetan Resettlement Project Ottawa to sponsor our share of Tibetans to Ottawa in the next year. Despite funding cutbacks, our core programs remain vibrant and we are always looking to add new value. One example is our forthcoming commitment to enhancing newcomer access to health services in partnership with the Champlain Local Health Integration Network (LHIN) and the Somerset West Community Health Centre. Page 3

4 Our 9 th annual Community Cup was once again a showcase event in Ottawa, attracting more people and creating more connections with our greater community. Participants, volunteers, and subsequent media reports showed just how welcoming a community we can be. Over time, the Catholic Centre for Immigrants has cultivated a reputation for service effectiveness, integrity and trust with federal, provincial and municipal government funders. Our Executive Director and his leadership team maintain our organizational commitment to forge partnerships with services and agencies in Ottawa. Carl was re-appointed for another term with the Ottawa Police Services Board and he is the current President of the Ontario Council of Agencies Serving Immigrants (OCASI). He continues to play a significant role with the Ottawa Local Immigration Partnership (OLIP) and LASI World Skills (Local Agencies Serving Immigrants). An effective Board of Directors needs to maintain a high quality mix of talent and experience. Our Board continues to evolve as we welcomed our current treasurer Alfonzo Movilla, who has extensive financial experience in the private sector. We extend our deepest appreciation to those who have served us with distinction: Susan Carter for her nine years of leadership and sage counsel - as Board First Vice-President as well as chairing our Human Resources committee; and Maria Cristina Serje who provided us four years of exemplary support with the Community Relations committee and the Catholic Centre for Immigrants Foundation. Coming into this position, I have huge shoes to fill. I cherish and honour the continued presence and advice provided by our immediate Past President, John Scratch. We must also thank our longest supporters: the Archdiocese of Ottawa, Les Soeurs de la Charité and Les Filles de la Sagesse du Canada for their continued strong support for the CCI mission. As I mentioned at the start, 2014 marks our 60 th anniversary. Along with the Catholic Centre for Immigrants Foundation, we intend to celebrate this milestone with all of those who have worked and volunteered with us over the years, along with our many past clients. We need to take a moment to celebrate our accomplishments, honour our humanity, and look to our future. Larry Hill President Page 4

5 Executive Director s Report We have had another interesting, exciting and rewarding year in the life of our agency. Over the course of the year our permanent staff complement decreased from 76 to integration and support services to over 7919 clients; accommodated 570 people at Maison Sophia (Reception) House (MSH) and found housing for 451 of them, while our integration and support services housing team supported an additional 405 clients with their housing needs. We also introduced 84 families (221 individuals) to their faith community and helped organize sponsorships for 28 people through 9 sponsoring groups. In our Career Transitions Program for International Medical Doctors we served 87 people, 55 of whom found jobs in the health sector. Our Community Connections program designed and delivered 169 group activities and matched 190 newcomers with volunteers for mutual learning while the Community Integration Network team organized and delivered professional development over 300 frontline staff from across the province. This year the Community Cup program organized many community engagement activities as a way of expanding social networks for newcomers and hosted a spectacular Community Cup event which was attended by over 2000 people. The Ottawa Local Immigration Partnership continues to help us plan and collaborate as a community for the welcome of newcomers and we can now identify many things that happen because of OLIP. Over 700 people volunteered to help us in some capacity and we ended the year with net revenue of $22,801 while our sister organization the Catholic Centre for Immigrants Foundation had net assets of $581, During the year we also set up the Canada Centre, another sister organization, to hold and manage our real estate assets. The Canada Centre ended the year with net assets of $2,174,395. As our reduced budget indicates this was also a year of continuing adjustments in terms of budget and programming as CCI our most important partner and funder, continued the process of aligning its settlement programs with the evolving immigration policy, economic and fiscal environment. This meant additional layoffs but at year end our staff complement was down by one. We are grateful to the Pathy Foundation which agreed to fund the children s program at Maison Sophia House for 3 years. We also thank the Ministry Citizenship and Immigration (MCI) of the Government of Ontario for an extension to our Career Transitions program for International Medical Doctors. At the Board level we also had a busy year including: Ensuring that we met the requirements of the New Not for Profit Act (NNPA) of Canada and preparing us to meet similar requirements for the Ontario NNPA. Continuing our search for a suitable property to establish a second Reception House. Given the difficulty we have had finding a suitable building, and the evolving changes in the makeup of newcomers to Ottawa, the board determined that is was prudent to repair MSH while we continued our search. During the year we carried out a building condition assessment of MSH and are now carrying out much needed repairs. Providing us the staff with good strategic advice and direction as we proactively respond to the many policy and operational changes in our environment. Page 5

6 Following are some additional highlights of our work: These include: Participating along with the City, our LASI (Local Agencies Serving Immigrants) partners and several other stakeholders in Ottawa Local Immigration Partnership Council Participating on the Board of the Ontario Counsel of Agencies Serving Immigrants. I was elected as President in December Working with a local group, the Tibetan Refugee Project Ottawa (TRPO) to prepare to sponsor and welcome some 100 Tibetans to Ottawa over the next 3 years Signing an agreement with Carty House, a home for vulnerable refugee women, through which we will work together to assist these women Beginning the redesign of our website as a first step in reshaping our online platform Continuing our work with the Ottawa Police Service, assisting them in their efforts to become the employer of choice for all. Continued participation on the on the Board of the Human Resources Sector Council for the Not for Profit Sector We also continued several successful partnerships for example with the, the Vietnamese Center, the Vanier Community Service Centre and Family Service Ottawa to name a few. Our partnership with the Local Agencies Serving Immigrants (LASI) continues to thrive, we continue to sit on the Board and Executive of World Skills. Our sister organization, The Catholic Immigration Centre Foundation, also had a reasonably successful year. During the year the Foundation contributed $72, to CCI s work and ended the year with a small deficit of ($11,952.00). None of this would be possible without commitment and effort from many people. First let me say many thanks to our staff, for doing a great job, for making a difference. Thanks also to the Board. Our Board members take their task seriously. They meet regularly, work very hard, and provide us with excellent guidance and direction. Thanks as well to our three church partners les Filles de la Sagesse d Ontario, les Soeurs de la Charité d Ottawa and the Archdiocese of Ottawa who continue to provide us with generous assistance. Thank as well to our funding partners. We have important contracts with Citizenship and Immigration Canada, The Ministry of Citizenship and Immigration Ontario, Infrastructure Canada, the City of Ottawa. On behalf of all of us, I thank them for all the many ways in which they assist us, and the opportunity to work together. Finally thanks to the many volunteers and donors give us their time, energy, commitment, encouragement, money, and inspiration. Page 6

7 Following is a brief presentation of highlights of department accomplishments. Integration and Support Services (Settlement Department) The Integration and Support Services program (formerly the Settlement program) helps newcomers adapt and integrate into their new environment. Using a case management approach, services offered include orientation, interpretation, translation and documentation, counseling, housing search, life-skills training, peer group support, daily drop-in service, advocacy and referrals to other community services. Services are offered in several languages including both official languages. In 2012/13 we served 7,919 clients who came from 115 countries with 84 different mother languages. Delivered 143 workshops and information sessions with 1,310 participants on a variety of topics relevant to newcomers settlement and integration needs. Provided settlement services at 8 off-site locations. We have partnership agreements with 6 community organizations/service providers whereby we provide on-site settlement counsellors to these agencies while the agencies provide office space and facilities. Participated in six community social and cultural events with 590 participants. Conducted 5 sensitization workshops to various service providers on the needs and contributions of newcomer clients. Recruited 76 volunteers who contributed 3,858 hours to our programs. Networked, partnered with and/or reached out to more 100 agencies, community organizations, service providers and multicultural groups with the aim of enhancing the capacity of the settlement sector and improving access to settlement services. We continued our participation in the Community Volunteer Income Tax Program, through which we helped 401 clients with income tax filing. These were low-income earners, seniors, people with disabilities and newcomers. Our housing team supported 207 families (405 individuals) with their housing need through assisting them in obtaining stable and affordable housing or in preventing homelessness. Through our Food Bank program, we distributed food to 844 individuals and families with urgent needs. 120 newcomer clients received short-term counselling services and were referred to organizations providing in-depth counselling services. Our three volunteer lawyers helped 2,350 clients with legal advice and certification of documents. Our Youth Program provided 20 Information sessions to 80 newcomer youth, organized weekly sports activities, took youth on tours to the Ottawa Police station and museums, and provided sensitizing workshops to two high schools reaching out to 100 Canadian Youth. The program also ran a leadership session for 8 immigrant youth in Page 7

8 collaboration with Youth-OCISO. Other activities included weekly Homework clubs at the adult High School. Challenges: Long waiting time for immigration applications Shortage of qualified interpreters for certain groups of newcomers, e.g. Karen, Bhutanese newcomers. Helping clients with mental health issues Finding affordable and suitable accommodation for newcomers. Maison Sophia House (Reception House) Arriving in Canada for the first time can be a lonely, frightening experience for newcomers. This is when a welcoming hand is most appreciated and support services and programs are most needed. We provide such services at Maison Sophia House (Reception House). Located at 204 Boteler St., Reception House provides temporary accommodation for Government Assisted Refugees and homeless immigrants & refugee claimants referred to us by the City of Ottawa. During their stay at Reception House (normally 3 to 4 weeks on average) newcomers are provided with information, counseling and a warm friendly environment as well as food, shelter and clothing. Reception House serves its clients through several major programs. These are: Temporary accommodation; Orientation and an introduction to Canadian life Meeting GARs immediate & essential needs; Helping residents finding appropriate and affordable housing Special life skills programs Improving clients abilities to function effectively in Canadian society including accessing & referring to needed services. Multi-faceted programs for the many children for whom Reception House is their first Canadian home, Health related services and proactive support program while settling in the community. Maison Sophia House provided accommodation for 570 clients (473 Government Assisted Refugees and 97 newcomers referred by City of Ottawa). The Life Skills Support Program provided hands-on training to 382 clients in their own homes. The program covered such topics as shopping, personal and home safety, neighborhood services, transportation, banking, etc. Our housing program found permanent accommodation for 451 clients The Community Integration Service enhanced the settlement experience of many clients. Through advocacy, outreach, and cooperation with many agencies the program improved clients capacity to access resources in the community. The program assisted 464 new clients and closed the files of another 348. Page 8

9 Using a case management approach, the Client Support Services Program improved the ability of 420 clients to access to resources in the community, including special programs for youth and outreach to many service providers. The Wellness Centre, a partnership with Ottawa Public Health, Bruyère Medical Centre, Somerset West Community Health Centre, South-East Ottawa Community Health Centre, and the University Ottawa medical school, performed initial medical assessment on 360 clients, participated in 1,400 health activities (e.g. immunization, doctors visits, TB tests, dental screening), while through the HARP program (Health Advocacy for Refugees Program), medical students interviewed 180 clients on their medical history. We gratefully received funding from the Pathy Foundation, a private family foundation, for the Children s Program at Reception House. Reception House was visited by many groups during the course of the year. These included: - Deputy Ministers Committee (DMC) from Citizenship and Immigration Canada - Health Advocacy for Refugees Program (HARP) medical students from the University of Ottawa Medical School -Canadian Foreign Officers (Visa Officers) -Group from the Canadian Orientation Abroad (COA) program -UNHCR officers. - Ottawa Homeless Shelters Challenges: Ongoing need for life skills training for clients coming from rural areas, clients with limited language skills and clients with disabilities. Not enough support for parents with children and adults with disabilities. High number of clients with serious medical and mental health needs which requires interpretation, escort services, advocacy and outreach to local medical resources. Long wait list for mental health services is one of the biggest challenges which delay the client s integration process. Shortage of interpreters for certain groups, especially female interpreters. With a rental vacancy rate of less 2.5% and very high rent costs, it is difficult to find affordable housing for our clients Lack of basic employment programs for clients with minimal language skills, interested in finding at least survival jobs The limited coverage for certain medical supplies and services provided by the Interim Federal Health program and, the reluctance by some health service providers (doctors, dentists, opticians, pharmacies) to accept clients with IFH coverage. Page 9

10 Community Participation Department Community Connections Program This was a year of transition. We were told to prepare for budget reductions in most programs funded by the federal government. We designed and tested strategies to deliver an effective program with a reduced number of staff in and beyond. The team switched focus to group activities instead of one-on-one matches. In spite of the projected cuts and the added workload as we tried new ideas, staff and volunteers managed to: Design and deliver 169 group activities with a total attendance of 1,300 people (many attended more than one activity). Support 140 active volunteers. Deliver 47 group presentations where 1,450 people learned about the program. Match 190 newcomers with volunteers for mutual learning. This included a number of professional affinity matches between volunteers and newcomers with a similar field of expertise. Many of the Community Engagement activities, designed to increase interaction between our clients and people in the community-at-large received very positive feedback from participants. Our big goal to help newcomers become ACTIVE, PRODUCTIVE, CONNECTED in Canada seems to be shared by the community-atlarge and our numerous clients. Some events introduced this year were: Share the Puck. In partnership with the Perth Blue Wings. A unique opportunity to explore hockey, public arenas, sharing fun, food and stories with the Perth community. The Survival Job Series. Designed to help refugees with high needs to understand how to look for work in Canada and be supported in their job search by a group of staff and volunteers. Conversation Cafes that brought together guest speakers, newcomers, volunteers and interested persons in the community. The Cafes helped to improve language skills, provide information on relevant topics, offered practical tips on how to access the Canadian labour market and expanded the social and professional networks for a number of our clients. The Youth Program This program is a collaboration between three departments in the agency: Settlement Services, Client Support Services and Community Connections. We pool our resources and offer support to newcomers who are 14 to 24 years old. As many other youth in that age group, they require services that take into account their unique needs and perspective. Page 10

11 The Youth Program March Break. One week of daily activities for 17 participants. Homework Clubs with 28 regular participants Recreational Sports Nights Lots of field trips including a memorable tour of the Parliament buildings 10 Youth matches. 50 active volunteers 100 youth participants. Partnerships and collaboration with several service providers. Challenges for Community Connections: Integration is a lengthy process of mutual learning and accommodation. It is difficult to demonstrate results in a short time span. Creating positive relationships is sometimes perceived as unnecessary or just nice to have. We know, from our clients feedback, that an expanded social network is an important factor on the road to integration. We are exploring strategies to make the business case for investment on building a welcoming community. Opportunities: The climate of fiscal restraint has given us additional incentive to find ways to mobilize the whole community to assist us in this building of a productive, harmonious Ottawa. As you can see from the program statistics, group activities and outreach presentations were used to bring together newcomers and members of the established community and to inform people about the opportunities created for everyone when, together, we strive to achieve an environment that welcomes and enables ACTIVE, PRODUCTIVE, CONNECTED immigrants and refugees Community Integration Network (CIN) This program facilitates the coordination of Settlement programming under the Community Connections stream. This includes all Community Connections programs, the Settlement Workers in Schools (SWIS) and the Library Settlement Partnerships (LSP). The CIN team was responsible for the following main activities: Training and Professional Development sessions for front-line workers. Support to Francophone programs: CIN organized professional development sessions for francophone service provider organizations delivering programming under the Community Connections stream. Interdisciplinary Convening Tables: CIN organized and facilitated interdisciplinary sessions aimed at cross promotion of strategies for programming under Community Connections. Development of strategies for improved service delivery and coordination. Page 11

12 Three days of Professional development and networking opportunities for 300 front-line workers Six interdisciplinary meetings where a total of 260 program staff exchanged ideas and promising practices on topics including services for youth, creating partnerships, itinerant services and consolidating the services offered under the former Host program. A three-day session for thirty nine French service providers with very positive feedback from them regarding how CIN met their need to learn and share ideas in a francophone context. A series of recommendations and practical ideas to improve service delivery for clients and better coordination between service providers. Challenges: We have been told to expect significant budget cuts to this program because it does not deliver services directly to clients. This will make it difficult to follow up on some of the promising ideas for improved service coordination that were developed during the interdisciplinary meetings. Opportunities: We ll be working on alternatives to help service providers maintain a strong network for mutual support. Community Cup Program The Community Cup program uses community engagement activities to expand social networks for immigrants and refugees; actively promote civic participation of newcomers as volunteers; increase the capacity of organizations to create partnerships; use public spaces to facilitate the integration of newcomers into the community; and uses shared interests to engage people with dissimilar backgrounds. The program is comprised of five main activities: Community Cup (Ottawa Event) a recreational soccer tournament and celebration Tag Teams - Civic Engagement and intercultural Mentorship community project teams Community Events Infusion connecting with festivals in Ottawa Corporate/Community Challenges networking over friendly competition Community Cup - Ontario Coordinated Support. The program activities are partially funded by Citizenship and Immigration Canada, however, it is necessary to seek out and gather significant contributions from the community. This is particularly essential with the Community Cup Ottawa Event. Page 12

13 Community Cup (Ottawa Event): o The 8 th annual Community Cup Event in Ottawa took place on June 24 th, 2012 in Brewer Park. It was an activity-packed day that revolved around a recreational co-ed soccer tournament aimed at promoting newcomer integration and connections. Support activities included the Community Tent, live music and performances, a Citizenship Re-affirmation Ceremony, a Musical Language tent, a Kids Zone, a Seniors Sharing circle and eight demonstration sports. o Approximately 2000 people participated, including 24 soccer teams, 160 volunteers (45% newcomers). It engaged many new sponsors and partners, featured talented local entertainers, CCI staff, media, community leaders, and more. Tag Teams - Civic Engagement and intercultural Mentorship o 20 Tag teams (small groupings of program participants where a volunteer mentor, student and newcomer are matched around a particular task needed for delivery of the program) were created. o 7 workshops were held with a focus on building knowledge and skills sought by employers Community Events Infusion o Creating placements for newcomer volunteers on community event and festival planning committees as a method to enrich the diversity and connections with the community and could prepare newcomers for job opportunities and increase diversity at community events (organizers and participants). A baseline survey to major festivals in Ottawa showed that there were zero newcomers participating on community festival and event organizing committees; we recruited and are preparing 10 participants to join other event planning teams. We also hosted 8 workshops tailored to working on events for 147 participants. Corporate/Community Challenges o Gathered groups of newcomers to challenge staff from specific corporations, associations, or employment sectors to 6 friendly sport related activities such as cricket, soccer, curling, yoga, ice fishing, and running. The format involved learning a sport, then informal networking through friendly competition with groups or teams comprised of both newcomers and professionals. o A total of 178 people participated in the corporate challenges including 88 newcomers (49%), 51 Corporate participants (29%), 18 volunteers (10%) and 21 other (12%) Community Cup - Ontario Coordinated Support. o Replications of the Community Cup soccer festival held in Ottawa were held in North York, London, St. Catherine s and Windsor in the summer of Program staff from Ottawa provided a workshop overview to the sponsor organizations in each of those communities on how to stage the event Page 13

14 Challenges: The Community Cup Ottawa Event struggles to achieve a strong coordinated outreach support from CCI to promote the opportunity to clients and networks. With only two staff, the program is set up to rely on heavy volunteer support and most of our volunteer opportunities require significant commitments, or are short term. This requires constant volunteer recruitment. Infusion Program: There are far fewer available volunteer opportunities with organizing committees of events and festivals than had originally been envisioned. Managing cash flow to support the Ontario expansion of the Community Cup Outcomes: It was a perfect environment to relax, exercise, learn about other cultures, and network. what made the 2012 Community Cup most significant for me, however, was meeting my new friend I learned a new game (Cricket) for me and met nice people I will bring my friends ice fishing next year I met people from TD bank playing soccer who gave me a job interview. We met friendly helpful people who made us feel welcomed in their community, showed us ways to get going, told us about their work experience and make us have a more positive attitude I learned CPR and First Aid I did not know I could have this kind of power to help others. Now I have it on my resume. The Public Speaking workshop was a courage booster and made me aware that I can always turn my weakness into strength. The Pastoral and Sponsorship Programs The pastoral and sponsorship programs at the Catholic Center for Immigrants focus on newcomer integration into local religious or spiritual groups through co-operation with many faith communities. It also promotes the involvement of faith groups and others in the private sponsorship of refugees and seeks to obtain the support of these groups for CCI s mission. The Pastoral Program Under the objectives of this program, pastoral staff with the support of both settlement and reception house staff collaborate to help interested clients of all faiths to find the appropriate faith community for their needs. 84 families (221clients) from 12 countries were assisted in joining their faith community. Page 14

15 We worked with 12 faith communities, several of which are non-christian A highlight of our year was providing the opportunity for a refugee/newcomer family to experience a summer holiday at Wapoos Island. In a referral to Blessed Sacrament church we were able to successfully negotiate a one week holiday for their refugee family. Our connection with partners in the community helped negotiate a truly Canadian summer experience for a refugee family. Another highlight of our Pastoral program was our connection with other faith communities and the co-operative spirit in which we collaborate together. We introduced one of our newcomers to the Russian Orthodox Church and that church is interested in joining our Coalition in Ottawa for Refugees. The Sponsorship program Using the sponsorship agreement between the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Ottawa and Citizenship Immigration Canada we promote the involvement of faith groups and others in the private sponsorship of refugees; and seek to obtain the support of these groups for CCI s mission. Under the umbrella agreement with the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Ottawa 28 newcomers from 6 countries of origin were sponsored by 9 different sponsorship groups. One of the highlights of this past year was working with Citizenship and Immigration Canada, marketing department for the promotion of the PSR (Private Sponsorship of Refugees) program. We promoted the program by utilizing one of the privately sponsored refugee families from Iraq as participants in a Video presentation of the refugee families experience of coming to Canada through the private sponsorship program. Another highlight was the connection with have through COR (the Coalition in Ottawa for Refugees) to work ecumenically. In the past year we were approached through a COR member to facilitate at a workshop promoting sponsorship of refugees at an evangelical churches gathering. Through this workshop there is now a refugee committee at the Met Bible Church. Career Transitions Program Career Transitions for International Medical Doctors The Career Transitions Program provides sector-specific employment preparation, counseling services and employer outreach to assist international medical doctors (IMD) in securing alternative employment in the health sector that makes effective use of their skills. The Career Transitions program is delivered in partnership with LASI World Skills and is funded by the Ontario Ministry of Citizenship and Immigration. Central to the program is a 30 hour course which covers topics such as: Page 15

16 Canadian business culture and health sector jobs Transferable skills Retraining possibilities Action Plans How IMDs can market themselves for employment Writing effective résumés and cover letters Succeeding in job interviews PLUS: Ongoing support with résumés and cover letters, interview preparation, job search and career guidance. 158 IMDs applied to the Career Transitions Program 87 IMDs participated in the Career Transitions Program 55 IMDs gained employment in the Health Sector (Program Target was 40 employed clients) 35 IMDs received volunteer positions in the Health Sector ( Program target was 25) 39 IMDs pursued Continuing Education ( Program target was 13) 15 IMDs accessed Mentoring component of the program ( Program target was 12) The Career Transitions team contacted over 70 employers in the Ottawa region Ottawa Local Immigration Partnership Council (OLIP) OLIP is a community-wide collaborative initiative with the mandate to strengthen Ottawa s capacity to attract, settle, and integrate immigrants. OLIP is hosted by the Catholic Centre for Immigrants on behalf of LASI. For the past two years (since June 2011), the OLIP partnership is focused on facilitating a community-wide implementation of the Ottawa Immigration Strategy. This is done collaboratively under a supportive governance system that stimulates reflection and enables actors to plan together and strategize about ways of instigating leadership. Because of OLIP, the Ottawa Community achieved the following results in the last year: Municipal Work Experience program The City of Ottawa launched the first ever Municipal Work Experience Program, designed to promote immigrant access to jobs in the municipal government. The Municipal Work Experience Program will provide paid term internships to immigrants to assist immigrants in building Canadian work experience. The Program draws from the successes of the Federal Internship Program, led by the Foreign Credentials Office & Integration Branch of Citizenship and Immigration Canada. Page 16

17 Multicultural Health Broker Initiative The OLIP Health & Wellbeing Sector worked with the Champlain Local Health Integration Network (LHIN) to develop a collaborative initiative that will help immigrants connect more easily with needed health services. Other partners in this important initiative include health and resource centres; settlement service provider organizations, the regional francophone health service planning body, the University of Ottawa and Ottawa Public Health. Multicultural health brokers (lay health professionals from immigrant communities) are proven to help improve the health outcomes of immigrants through greater awareness of how to access existing services and through targeted community education on culturally significant health promotion strategies. Linking Research & Action A new partnership between OLIP and the Diversity and Equity Research Group (DERG) is established to facilitate shared awareness on opportunities and challenges related to the attraction, settlement and integration of immigrants in our community. Promoting Healthy Living through Language Instruction Immigrants' awareness on healthy living will be improved thanks to the development of lesson plans that ensure language providers will include tips, ideas, and message developed by the Ottawa Public Health (OPH). This collaborative initiative, called Healthy Eating, Active Living (HEAL) builds on the work of the Ottawa Public Health in 2012 with Settlement Service Provider Organizations (SPOs), which lead to the training of settlement counsellors in providing health maintenance advice to newcomers. The new lesson plans will soon be made available for all language instructors in Ottawa. Strengthened Communication Platforms Thanks to a generous grant by the Community Foundation of Ottawa, OLIP launched two new communications platforms to strengthen information flow among the OLIP partners: a new website and a biannual newsletter. The OLIP website is redeveloped entirely to become a Partnership Portal and a virtual hub of information and idea sharing across sectors. The Portal features information on collaborative initiatives that are taking place across the vast network of OLIP, and alerts viewers to events and knowledge in OLIP s areas of work. The new Portal ( and the biannual newsletter called Partnerships for Integration Newsletter will continue to grow as key mediums for linking ideas and initiatives on local immigrant integration strategies. Page 17

18 The Catholic Centre for Immigration Foundation The CCIF develops and implements programs to raise funds for the work of the Catholic Centre for Immigrants. Although a separate corporation with its own Board and other structures, the foundation is an integral and iportant part of the CCI family. Raised $108,059.00, and contributed $72, to CCI programs Canada Centre Canada Centre is a charity that owns and manages 2 buildings (219 Argyle Street and 204 Boteler Street) and is a part of the Catholic Centre for Immigrants, Ottawa family. The Canada Centre ended the year with net assets of $2,174,395. Carl Nicholson, Executive Director Page 18

19 Treasurer s Report Treasurer's Report for the year ended March 31, 2013 The Catholic Centre for Immigrants (CCI) had another successful year. Total revenue was $5,720,539 and total expenses were $5,697,738. This resulted in a net operating surplus of $22,801, which represents 0.40% of revenue. At March 31, 2013, CCI had total assets of $1,536,189 and total liabilities of $547,557. This result gave us net assets of $988,638. Net assets include Building and General Reserves to provide for future building expenses or contingencies. The actual amount that is unrestricted is only $310,135. In 2013 CCI transferred its interest in the land and buildings of Bruyère Centre and Maison Sophia House to Canada Centre (CC8). The purpose of CC8 is to provide and maintain facilities for the benefit of CCI. Analysis of our balance sheet indicates that at year end our short term position was good as we had $2.89 (up from $2.71 in 2012) in current assets and $2.87 (up from $2.61 in 2012) in liquid assets for every $1.00 of current liability. Our long term position was also good and improved from 2012 as our liabilities were 35.64% (down from 59.26% in 2012) of our assets. We wish to thank the Ottawa Archdiocese, les Soeurs de la Charité and les Filles de la Sagesse, for their continued support of our organization. On behalf of the CCI Finance Committee, I would like to thank my fellow committee member, Luise Czernenko-Reid for her assistance throughout Luise s guidance and input was invaluable during the changeover of Treasurers. I am also very gratefully to the staff of the CCI Finance Department; Lucila Spigelblatt, Anna Szymanowicz, Dianne Webb and Velinca Nevrencean. Without their diligence, dedication and hard work CCI would not be able to continue to deliver on its mission to assist newcomers to Canada. I also wish to recognize the work of the CCI and CCI Foundation Board, our volunteers and our staff for their dedication in supporting CCI activities. Alfonso Movilla Treasurer Page 19