Toronto Immigration Charities
Delivered July 31, 2019. Contributor: Teresa W.
Goals
To vet charity organizations in Toronto that focus on immigration in order to make a decision regarding potential donations.
Early Findings
Toronto has approximately 69 charities and organizations that work within the immigration space. A few examples are Access Alliance, Lifeline Syria, Catholic Crosscultural Services, and Christie Refugee Welcome Center. Access Alliance
- Access Alliance, founded in 1989, provides health services and community programs to immigrants, refugees, and thier communities.
- The organization is accredited by the Canadian Centre for Accreditation and is a United Way member agency.
- The primary health care team provides culturally sensitive health care and education to disadvantaged immigrants and refugees.
- The community programs include peer-to-peer outreach, prenatal support, LGBTQ+ programs, youth programs, and financial literacy programs focusing on immigrants and refugees.
- The organizations settlement services help immigrants and refugees adjust to life in Toronto and offers resources for job hunting, language services, and housing.
- Access Alliance has 21,121 active clients and has served over 82,000 on-demand interpreting calls.
- In 2018, 30% of the organization's revenue was spend on service delivery.
LifeLine Syria
- LifeLine Syria was founded in 2015 as a result of the growing Syrian refugee crisis in Canada.
- The organization trains sponsors in the GTA to help support Syrian families during their first year in the country.
- They also work with pro bono lawyers to help process refugee applications accurately.
- Donations to LifeLine Syria are managed and distributed by the Toronto Foundation.
Catholic Crosscultural Services
- CCS was founded in 1954 to help newcomers to Toronto despite "race, religion, age, country of origin, immigration status or political affiliation."
- The organization provides settlement services, English classes, employment support, women support, and refugee sponsorship training.
- In 2018, CCS served over 24,000 clients.
- Roughly 13% of the organization's income was spent on service delivery including program allocations and program expenses.
Christie Refugee Welcome Center
- The CRWC offers emergency shelter and settlement services to refugees from all ethnicities.
- It was founded in 1989 under the umbrella of World Vision Canada.
- The organization's shelter program runs in cooperation with the City of Toronto. It is a 76 bed unit supporting more than 25 families daily.
- The outreach program was developed in 2006 and works to help refugees as they transition from the shelter program into their own homes.
- In 2018, the organization had over 4,800 outreach sessions, served over 250 refugees in the shelter, and helped 100 families transition into permanent housing.
- According to the 2017 annual report, CRWC spent 12% of its revenue on client care and another 8% on facility upkeep.
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