Matthew House Ottawa

We were proud to be certified as Ottawa's newest Living Wage Employer by the Ontario Living Wage Network earlier this month. A living wage is calculated by the OLWN to show how much a householdtwo adults working full time supporting two small childrenmust earn per hour in order to make ends meet and enjoy modest participation in their civic and cultural community. Read more: https://tinyurl.com/1con5fq6

Today is Family Day in Ontario. We're thinking about the many families we have the privilege of serving through our Furniture Bank each year, and about those refugees who have had to leave their families behind. From our Matthew House Ottawa family to yours, we wish you a peaceful day of togetherness.

Need in our community is only continuing to grow as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Will you ensure Matthew House Ottawa can be here for everyone who needs us in the year to come? tinyurl.com/1gc2t90c

As Matthew House Ottawa marked ten years in service of refugees and low-income individuals last year, we saw COVID-19 transform the way we work But that work didn’t stop. Because of our amazing supporters, we were able to keep offering vital resources for people in our community. Here's an infographic sharing just some of what you made possible! Read more: tinyurl.com/gye523ea

Proud to be a certified #LivingWage employer.

"Studies show that matching funds have three profound and well-documented effects on giving." To understand why the government should implement a donation match...ing fund, read Canada Cares spokesperson Brian Dijkema's op-ed in IPolitics here: https://ipolitics.ca//to-save-small-charities-that-serve-/ See more

Matthew House Ottawa: Furniture Bank would like to thank Dymon Storage for its very generous gift of 3,200 masks. This will certainly help keep our volunteers and clients safe and healthy. Thank you, Dymon Storage!

Seeing the satisfaction from the families when they received their furniture and the impact it made on their lives affected me in such a profound manner that I put my original plans aside to dedicate myself at the furniture bank. Click through to read more from this great interview with furniture bank program director, David Botha.

A physically distanced version of the Ride for Refuge is taking place on October 3! The Ride is one of the key ways we raise the funds we need to furnish up to 700 homes and welcome more than 30 refugee claimants each year. Our goal is $20,000 and we need your help to reach it!... -sign up to be a team captain -set a team goal of $1000-$2000 -recruit some friends to walk/ride and fundraise with you for Matthew House Ottawa See more

The Greek word 'diakonia' expresses the act of being called to serve. As a small charity that relies on volunteers to carry out our work in service of our community, we were honoured to be profiled in the Cardus Diakonia project.

We just opened up a new home for refugees in Ottawa! Read about the new home, and other updates here: https://www.matthewhouseottawa.org/blog/2020/9/15

We moved and everything seemed to go wrong at once. We ran out of money. We couldn’t afford to pay rent. My wife got sick. We went to the hospital and we didn’t have enough money to pay our bills We were desperate." Take 5 minutes to read this amazing story of Biggest and his family.

A huge thank you to West Ottawa Community Church for the food drive and generous donations to help nourish the refugees we welcome at Matthew House Ottawa.

We are hiring a driver/mover at furniture bank. Click through for details. Apply by August 12.

Do you like to walk or ride bike? Then put in a team for Matthew House Ottawa in this year’s Ride for Refuge, taking place on October 3! This event is one of the key ways we raise the funds we need to furnish up to 700 homes and welcome more than 30 refugee claimants each year. Our goal is $20,000 and we need your help to reach it! -sign up to be a team captain... -set a team goal of $1000-$2000 -recruit 4-6 friends to walk/ride and fundraise with you for Matthew House Ottawa See more

"When we moved into our apartment we had nothing. Now, we can sit on the couch together, eat meals at the kitchen table, and sleep in our beds." Click through to read an interview with Bemvindo, who was a client at furniture bank in May and started volunteering two weeks later.

A significant development for refugee claimants in Canada.

Wanted to share this encouraging feedback we received this morning. "Just a short note to say how impressed a neighbour's family was with the crew from the Furniture Bank. I had suggested the Furniture Bank. The family's mother was moved to a retirement home And with the very fast sale of her home, they needed to clear a house full of good furniture and household items. Rave reviews! I will continue to promote your work and to refer others to your Furniture Bank. Congrats on all that you do to support newcomers and thank you."

Thank you for your generous support for the work of Matthew House Ottawa and the people we serve. Click through for an update from our furniture bank and refugee services programs.

Are you 17-30 and looking for a summer job? We are seeking an operational intern at Furniture Bank to assist the program director, trucking coordinator and warehouse manager with key administrative and operational duties, including donor and client relations, volunteer liaison and warehouse functions. Apply by July 7.... https://www.matthewhouseottawa.org/operational-intern-wareh

In recognition of World Refugee Day, read this moving story from one of the refugees we welcomed at Matthew House Ottawa last year. *** When I arrived in Canada, I knew absolutely nobody. I spent my first weeks here in a Montreal shelter cold and anxious. There were 12 of us sharing a room, and I couldn’t sleep despite how tired I was. It was December, and I had no clothes or winter coat of my own. I couldn’t find a doctor who would see me despite my ongoing medical issues.... Those were dark and difficult days. I heard about Matthew House Ottawa, and decided to give them a call. I was so thankful when they told me to come in. Being given a place to stay at Matthew House was the best news I’d had in a very long time. The environment was so very different from the shelter I’d stayed at before. I had a bed of my own, a place to lie down and rest. From the second I walked through the door, it felt like home. My soul settled for the first time since leaving for Canada. The support I received at Matthew House was amazing. Right away, I was able to pick out some clothes from the donations people had brought by. Staff helped me see a doctor. There was food to eat, and new friends to laugh with. I knew then that I was going to be okay. Matthew House staff and volunteers helped me with my refugee claim, found workshops so I could learn more about Canadian culture, and assisted me in finding a place to live. Today, I have an apartment of my own that I share with a single roommate. I’ve come a long way since those first days in the shelter, sharing with 12 other women. I’m living proof that everyday people can touch and change lives. After all, it’s thanks to Matthew House supporters that I am where I am today. I’m so blessed to have been given this second chance.