Thank you for your donation… it has made a difference for that one. For that refugee, for that non-status migrant, family, child, youth, that was not left behind… it made a difference for that borderless humanity that we are dreaming to build… Your donation is making an immeasurable difference in the lives of all non-status people enriching our community.
Since the last week of March, when we just started our campaign “From Our Kitchen Table to Yours: in solidarity with precarious migrants”, our Centre has received many donations, monetary ones in our Emergency Fund, a lot of grocery cards, art and craft supplies, games and books for children and youth; one-time donation, to provide rent support to 25 individuals and 25 families; weekly food donation from Second Harvest; many smiles, signals of solidarity and gratitude…
So far, it makes a difference for just under 150 individuals and families. The number is growing by the day. Thanks for donating to support one refugee… one migrant at a time.
Thanks for donating to support one refugee… one migrant at a time.
Thank you for acknowledging a population so often isolated, marginalized and forgotten… for walking with us… for walking together with uprooted people… for building a borderless humanity…by supporting one refugee or migrant at a time.
This is the guiding philosophy of not only the FCJ Refugee Centre, but is at the very core of our common humanity. Since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, we have seen an enormous shift in the ways in which we interact, live our daily lives, and see the world around us. We have seen the turmoil that can be brought out in people when they are forced into situations of fear and vulnerability – circumstances so many of us who grew up in Canada with so many privileges have never had to face. But we’ve also seen the generosity of the spirit of our community.
Friends, partners, and neighbours coming together to donate food, arts & crafts supplies, toiletries. People coming together to volunteer their time and efforts to ensuring that their neighbours, and their neighbour’s neighbours have enough.
‘From Our Kitchen Table to Yours’ has been the manifestation of all of these efforts. An effort with results unprecedented in our Centre’s almost 30 year history. We’ve seen our entire staff and volunteer network shift to fulfill our commitment to the community. We’ve established a tremendous food and housing security initiative, making hundreds of connections in weeks alone.
From our humble community pantry, and from our kitchens to yours, we stand with you in solidarity. Our door is open today as it will be tomorrow.
We start collecting art supplies for non-status children and we were so happy to find these letters in each of the art bags. These letters defined our local neighbour… Canada. Keep doing what you are doing. Humanity need you. Keep safe, well and strong… we are together in this.
Special thanks to Maeve and Tate for your wonderful letters. They are 6 and 8 years old and send their beautiful words in Solidarity with non- status children.
For decades, we as a community have gathered around our own kitchen table. To share coffee in the morning, to share lunch, have meetings, celebrations, birthdays, conversations and build connections. We’ve worked to support people as they build new homes around kitchen tables in their new lives here. But that process has been incredibly difficult in recent months, and this crisis has magnified those challenges for so many.
For too many people, the kitchen table where families want to gather to break bread and share a meal has become a reminder of the food security they don’t have access to.
With the initiative, ‘From Our Kitchen Table to Yours’ we have provided food security measures to 30 homes already just in the last week. In the coming days, due to the recent increase in your generous donations, we now have the capacity to reach another 40 families.
Your donation is making an immeasurable difference in the lives of precarious migrants (families, youth, adults and seniors) – all of the people who make up our enriched community. So this is a brief message of thanks to you.
Thank you for grace and solidarity.
Thank you for acknowledging a population so often isolated, marginalized and forgotten.
Thank you for walking with us…and for walking together with uprooted people.
Thank you for building a borderless humanity…by supporting one refugee or migrant at a time.
As part of our COVID-19 response we are looking for support for women at our shelter, youth and other precarious migrants that do not have access to the emergency benefits and measures during the present health crisis. Residents of our houses, youth and clients have been laid off and need a lot of help.
You are welcome to support with GROCERY GIFT CARDS,BASKET WITH PERSONAL CARE KITS, or visit our website and make your donation through Canada Help. https://www.fcjrefugeecentre.org/get-involved/donate/
Look for the category FUND and select “FROM OUR KITCHEN’S TABLE… TO YOURS. IN SOLIDARITY WITH PRECARIOUS MIGRANTS “
Also you can find other initiatives we are implementing: an Open Letter signed by community organizations and groups in Ontario in solidarity with precarious migrants and their families.
Racism, and in particular anti-Black racism and anti-Indigenous racism which has been promoted by white supremacy and colonialism is the very foundation upon which both Canada and the United States have been built. The incidents we have seen in recent weeks, incidents repeated so many times over the course of weeks, months, and years, have been a scary reminder of the realities faced by Black and Indigenous people. It is a reminder that the barbaric colonial displacement and genocide executed against North America’s First Nations, and the enslavement of African peoples continues to directly affect every person, particularly racialized communities, all across North America.
We stand in solidarity with, and alongside all people across this land, in demanding justice, accountability, and equity. We are calling for a fair, unbiased justice system which includes reparations from any government and authority involved in violence against racialized communities, particularly Black and Indigenous communities. We recognize the additional vulnerabilities experienced by racialized women and youth, and the tremendous systemic barriers faced by these populations.
The priority for the government must be funding humanity and not furthering oppression.
We recognize and support the resilience, the actions, the will, and the power of all oppressed people to fight for their freedom. But we recognize this self-determination with conscious awareness of our own privileges, and welcome the responsibility of joining in the resistance; refusing to stand silently by while violent barbaric acts of systemic oppression continue. We commit to actively and deliberately breaking the silence that protects and promotes structural and systemic racism wherever it exists across Turtle Island, our shared home.
Black Lives Matter Here. Indigenous Lives Matter Here. These lives are valid, are worthy, and are loved here. This is our shared home. And we will not stay silent.
We care about your health and wellbeing and want to make sure you are informed. Please find useful information in our resource booklet HOW TO… FIND HELP
This is a toolkit with information about how to find support during the crisis of the COVID-19.
The document provides helpful resources. Keep in mind that most of the information is focused in Toronto and it might change depending on the situation of the health emergency.
CONTENT: (Immigration and settlement support)
-How COVID-19 is impacting immigration and refugee procedures
-Exemptions & travel restrictions
-How to make a refugee claim inland under COVID 19 instructions
-Processing times and extensions
-Health support
-Access to foodbanks
-Shelter in Toronto
-What to do in domestic violence situations
-Access to Ontario Works
-ETC.
More than 30 community organizations and groups in Ontario endorsed an Open Letter in Solidarity with Migrant Workers, Non-Status individuals and their families as community workers, organizers, volunteers, teachers, students and residents of Ontario, Canada.
The letter is in Solidarity with Migrant Workers, Non-Status individuals and their families as community workers, organizers, volunteers, teachers, students and residents of Ontario, Canada.
In unique times like this, Canadians must come together and not leave anyone behind.
Walking together with uprooted people and in solidarity:
Considering recent developments related to COVID-19, please be advised that Ready Tours scheduled between March 17th and April 3rd are cancelled. Keep in consideration that effective Tuesday, March 17, 2020, all in-person hearings and mediations were postponed until further notice. Please contact us after the first week of April for details on the upcoming Refugee Hearing Tours scheduled in April.
The FCJ Refugee Centre continues to work in solidarity with precarious migrants. We recognize that these populations are severely affected by every single precarity already as racialized and marginalized persons, and with the health and safety of our entire community in mind, we will be making some adjustments to our daily work environment. We will continue to remotely offer as many services as possible by phone, e-mail, or any other electronic means available to us.
We are encouraging our staff and volunteers to continue working from home and come to the office only when necessary. Working from the office is only recommended if they do not need to take public transportation or if they feel comfortable doing so and the ride is not long. We are also committed to practicing cleanliness and social distancing at the office as per the recommendations by the public health.
Due to all the information listed above, and with the encouragement of staff, as of today until further notice, we will switch our way of delivering services to:
Limiting in-person services to the most urgent, moving towards phone, email and any other electronic ways available to us. Particularly related to applications and procedures where the relevant Federal and Provincial institutions have relaxed deadlines, and increased flexibility of their appointments and intake.
For any inquiries on any issue or situation related to immigration and refugee process, as well as about all our services please either contact us at the emails below or call 416-469-9754 and dial the extension below:
We will still be serving clients who are in urgent need due to deadlines that are still in effect, or fundamental needs, while limiting their presence in the office to the most minimum (e.g. one family member). Such clients will only come after they confirm that they haven’t had any recent travel outside of Canada, haven’t been in contact with anyone who has travelled recently, don’t have any presenting Covid-19 symptoms, and haven’t been in contact with anyone with Covid-19 symptoms (cough, fever etc.)
Until further notice, the Primary Care Clinic, which is managed by the Inner City Health Associates, will provide appointments on a virtual care mode or via phone as need. If clients need to renew medication we encourage them to call our Centre and we will explain the procedures.
We have cancelled all our group sessions & workshops until further notice.
We thank you for your patience in this time and look forward to continuing to work together with all uprooted people and our entire community.
