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Immigration and Settlement Service - Branch of Catholic Social Services Immigrant and Refugee Services The Immigrant Centre is shared by C.A.R.E., Immigrant Settlement Service and Catholic Social Services. This agency provides indispensable settlement services to the newly arrived refugees and immigrants by guiding them through the initial stages of relocation. Catholic Social Services counselors are available and respond to the needs of people from all over the world. Counselors speak Spanish, Bosnian and Serbo-Croatian. Other language groups can be served through the use of interpreters. 
Most of their clients are government sponsored refugees, with a few
sponsored by individuals and church groups. Refugees are people who
are unable to remain in their country of origin because of war or
persecution on grounds of race, religion, political belief, or
membership in a particular group.
Refugees destined for Red Deer usually arrive in Canada through the Calgary airport where they are met by representatives of the Calgary Catholic Immigration Society. From there they are sent by taxi to a motel in Red Deer. It is a time of great stress for the newcomer: everything is strange and unfamilar. When the newcomer arrives at the motel, the appropriate settlement counselor is waiting with a friendly greeting to help ease the anxiety. Now begins the carefully organized process of guiding the newcomer through various stages of adjustment to a new life in Canada. At the motel, the settlement counselor takes the newcomer through an initial orientation to life. He or she explains how the refugee sponsorship program works, what parts of the assistance are grants, and what parts are loans which must be repaid. The counselor describes what forms of documentation the newcomer will need to obtain, and the responsibilities of refugees under the program. After this first orientation, the settlement counselor helps the newcomers do some initial shopping for groceries so that they can prepare their own meals. In addition, if the clients have come to Canada in the winter from a warm country, the counselor helps them select appropriate winter clothing. In the first days after arrival, the settlement counselor helps the newcomer obtain the documents required for living in Alberta. This includes applying for a social insurance number at the Canada Employment Centre, obtaining an Alberta Health Care card and opening a bank account. As quickly as possible, newcomers are moved to an apartment. Orientation at this point involves explaining landlord tenant law in Alberta, applying for utility hookups, and obtaining a telephone. 
Once an apartment has been arranged, the settlement counselor helps the
newcomer shop for basic items such as kitchenware and bedding, then helps
with the move. Essential furniture is provided and moved into the
apartment by a company contracted to Canada Immigration.
Settlement counselors then refer the newcomers for a Canadian Language Benchmarks Assessment to establish appropriate referral to English as a Second Langauge classes, if required. If there are school age children involved, the settlement counselor also helps to register them in the appropriate school. When this initial settling-in period is over, the settlement counselors continue to provide assistance and non-therapeutic counseling on an as-needed basis. This includes providing interpretation for medical and other appointments, and providing personal and family support. Meeting with clients in person or over the telephone, the counselors provide essential information on housing, transportation, finances, social and health services, education, employment and legal rights. They help ensure that newcomers are able to connect with the resources available in the community. When refugees are uprooted from their countries of origin and are forced to settle in a new country, there is so much new that they have to learn. In Red Deer, immigrants and refugees know that they can turn to the helpful staff at the Immigrant Centre for guidance and support in making a successful adaptation to Canadian life. Working together, staff of C.A.R.E. and Catholic Social Services help make the adjustment as smooth and painless as possible. They provide newcomers with an atmosphere of acceptance and a sense of belonging at the stressful beginning of their new lives in a new land. 
Career and Employment Assistance Services
Provides career planning, job search, and job maintenance services for immigrants and refugees. Settlement Counselling Program Provides information, orientation, referral, language translation, support counselling, and other services to assist immigrants and refugees settle and integrate into the community. |