with the belief that individuals and families will be much more successful, if we quickly get them settled into a home of their choosing.

Our professional staff and volunteers walk with families and individuals from homelessness to self-sufficiency and community integration. This process involves a wide range of client driven supports including:

• Securing and maintaining safe housing,

• Assistance furnishing, equipping and setting up housing,

• Assistance navigating systems and accessing supports (Immigration, Legal Aid, Ontario Works, medical care, language/education, etc.)

• Access to counselling and mental health supports

• Orientation to Canadian life (public transit, finances, health care, etc.)

• Connections to volunteer and employment opportunities

• Connections to faith, cultural, recreational, and social communities

We work in partnership and always seek to connect those we serve to the very best support possible. As such, we have an ongoing, working relationship with a wide variety of local, provincial, and national organizations including: Welcome Centre Shelter for Women and Families, Multicultural Council, WEST, UHC, Canadian Council for Refugees, Ontario Coalition of Service Providers for Refugee Claimants, Ontario Refugee Shelter Coalition, and UNHCR.

Matthew House is 100% donor funded, and while we do not refer to ourselves as an emergency shelter, every single man, woman, and child who resides with us, had no other option. We are an option of last resort for refugee claimants who arrive in Windsor without support from family or government. In fact, at any given time 10% of the people staying with us are “in-land claimants,” not yet eligible for Ontario Works and thus not eligible for city funded shelter. Further, we respond 24/7 when there are no other options. For example, in the winter of 2018, while I was driving through a snow storm in Hamilton, I received the call that FIVE families had arrived at the bus station and that Matthew House and all City funded options were full, including the motel. By moving people around and by reaching out to our donors, we were able to ensure that all five families (22 people) had safe shelter until they could be accommodated elsewhere.

Our Numbers

• Average # shelter beds occupied 2018 & 2019: 46.5

• 2019 nights of shelter provided: 4,460

• 2019 occupancy breakdown: Single: 35 - Families: 32

• 2020 cost per bed (single) $8,299 vs 23,629

• 2020 cost per room (family) $16,599 vs $27,475

• Families assisted with furniture and household items to move from shelter to

  permanent housing (includes City funded shelter) 2018: 27 - 2019: 43

• Refugees connected to shelter with a community partner in 2019: 147

• Annual Property Tax paid to City: $31,841.90

Real cost savings to the City of Windsor based on numbers from report:

2018 (6 single beds, 10 family rooms): $416,524.00

2019 (6 single beds, 13 family rooms): $498,949.00