Stories
Faith recalls her arrival: "Matthew House gave me food, shelter, love, and everything...They were a family to me." She reflects, "What's important isn't the material things, but the care and love I got from Matthew House."
Believing in their vision of a better life, Fatem and her husband were prepared to face the trials of uprooting their lives with stoic acceptance. Then Fatem met the team at Matthew House.
When Solomon arrived at Matthew House Ottawa, it was his first home in Canada: a place filled with uncertainty, new faces, and hope. Over three months, he found not just shelter, but a true sense of belonging.
“In Canada, teachers build curiosity, confidence, and creativity in their students,” Kahina shares. “My boys come home excited about learning. They never felt that way before.”
Often, supporting vulnerable neighbours, and particularly refugee claimants, is framed around what they gain. In Anjali’s experience, “I have gained so much more, truly so much more, from the opportunity..”
We can’t thank Allan enough for his commitment to our organization, which has translated to life-changing impacts for our city’s most vulnerable. We wish him the very best on the next step of his journey.
Our refugee services program currently provides a bed, food and settlement support for 180+ new refugee claimants at a time. This model has huge appeal for the city, explains Kale Brown, Manager of Homelessness System and Operations for the City of Ottawa.
Imagine how you feel when you walk through the door to your home. Your relief and immediate comfort of belonging. That’s Matthew House Ottawa.
“For many low-income residents and refugees, Matthew House is a critical service that can provide life changing resources and supports.”
“Starting over with nothing, I was expecting it would take ages to furnish my apartment…”
“If I wasn’t fortunate enough to live in Matthew House, I would have died here in Canada.”
“Matthew House has a basic understanding of the barriers – they get it. That’s why it’s worked so well.”
In the news
Matthew House Ottawa is pleased to announce that their Furniture Bank has been awarded a $122,000 Capital Grant from the provincial government’s Ontario Trillium Foundation.
“Community-based options are significantly cheaper than hotels, with better long-term outcomes, Brennan said. Matthew House costs $37 a day for a single person, for example.”
Matthew House Ottawa (MHO) has announced the opening of its 20th home that will provide temporary housing for refugee claimants.
Matthew House executive director Allan Reesor-McDowell joins CFRA's Ottawa at Work with Patricia Boal on July 9, 2024
Executive Director, Allan Reesor-McDowell, was welcomed onto The Social Economy through Social Inclusion (SETSI) podcast to discuss the work Matthew House is doing in the community
Canadian Council for Refugees’ proposal includes the establishment of reception centres in major cities to triage arrivals and streamlining the asylum process.
Executive Director Allan Reesor-McDowell co-wrote an article published in The Conversation.
MHO’s Executive Director joins the On the Way Home Podcast to talk about the need for a comprehensive plan for welcoming and supporting refugee claimants.
Ottawa Citizen published a great story profiling MHO: Furniture Bank and our team of staff and volunteers.
The sofa may have looked simple, but as Elohor touched its edges, her eyes filled with gratitude. Just two months earlier, she had arrived in Ottawa as a newcomer, starting from scratch.