Settlement Supports

Welcome Inn has several peer support groups, and immigrant families are receiving assistance as they settle into life in Canada. Almost 47% of those who visit our food bank are recent immigrants, and there are many other immigrant families that connect with us in other ways. Two languages--Arabic and Spanish--are almost as common as English. In response, Welcome Inn has two part-time staff with lived experience to lead our Peer-to-Peer Support Groups. Recent immigrants are given the chance to share their own experiences, explore resources together in the City of Hamilton, and have even enjoyed some swimming lessons together. Our peer support groups, together with our other settlement services, are graciously supported by TD Bank and the Foundation for Human Development.

Settlement Supports are now being offered to more families than ever before, with staff available to help fill out paper work, connect community members with organizations like the Immigrant Working Centre, and support them in their early years in Hamilton. We are also excited to be offering regular English conversation circles and are thrilled to see recent immigrants make significant improvements in their English proficiency. Translation services are also now available within several of our staple programs. At the food bank, community members often go through the intake process with the assistance of an interpreter. Our free tax clinic has also grown significantly because of the translation services available to recent immigrants.