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F. Community Reports

        
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Equal Opportunity Consultants. Discussion Paper: Immigrant, Refugee and Racial Minority Women and Health Care Needs. Toronto: Equal Opportunity Consultants, 199 1: 11 p.

This paper was prepared by the Women's Health Bureau of the Ontario Ministry of Health. The first section presents demographic profiles of Ontario's multicultural make-up and identifies major health issues for refugee and immigrant women. It argues that the health care needs of immigrant, refugee and racial minority women "have been inadequately served by the existing provision of health services in Ontario." (McIrvin Abu-Laban and Wilkinson, 1997)

Gingrich, Paul. Refugee Settlement and Integration: Removing Barriers. Regina: The Saskatchewan Association of Immigrant Settlement and Integration Agencies, 1995.

The objective of this project was to evaluate existing programming efforts with the goal of improving the settlement process. The outcome of the study is expected to provide a basis for program changes and implementation. Given these considerations, the project was designed to explore two areas of concern. The first goal of the study was to examine settlement programs and integration into Regina, and the second was to determine what successful settlement meant, and to provide some indication of how well newcomers integrated into the city. It outlines both successful and unsuccessful cases of integration. The report is divided into sections which examine areas pertinent to the lives of refugees in Regina: an demographic overview of respondents, issues related to learning English, labour market situation of refugees and long term implications of employment, refugee health and health services, and an examination of refugee communities in Regina. (adapted from author's introduction).

Gogia, N. To Whose Benefit? A Needs Assessment on Services for Immigrant and Refugee Women who have been Abused. Toronto: St. Christopher Neighbourhood House, 1993.

Grey, Josephine. Speaking Out: Final Report of the New Social Assistance Legislation Consumer Focus Group Project. Toronto: The Group, 1992.

Describes a project that consisted of a series of focus groups with consumers of social assistance in Ontario. The purpose of the focus groups was to obtain consumer opinions and ideas about how the social assistance system currently operates and how it could be improved; and to access both the existing network of organized consumers, and other consumers who might otherwise not become involved, in an ongoing way regarding the establishment of a council of consumers and social assistance reform. Half of the focus groups consisted of a cross section of people who had received general welfare or family benefits; seven groups were with immigrants and refugee claimants; six focus group sessions and a series of interviews were conducted with people with disabilities; and four groups focused on specific issues including employment and training. Issues discussed include adequacy of payments, service delivery, incentives to work, information access, child support, accountability, and efficiency. (Copyright 1993, Canadian Research Index, all rights reserved).

Ho, Laura E. Voices from the Woods: A Study of Newcomer Needs in Millwoods. Edmonton: The Millwoods Centre for Immigrants/Indo Canadian Women's Association, 1997.

This is a study of the experience and understandings of newcomers settling in the Millwoods area of Edmonton. It seeks to identify and describe the immigrants of the Millwoods area, to describe their settlement service needs, their experience in using existing settlement services and what settlement needs remain to be addressed in Edmonton. (from author's abstract)

Ho, Laura E. Settlement Needs Assessment Project: A Study of the Settlement Needs of Newcomers in the Family and Independent Classes. Edmonton: Community and Immigration Service, Catholic Social Services, 1996.

This paper examines the settlement experiences of newcomers in Edmonton, specifically those admitted as family and independent immigrants. Using a survey, over five hundred newcomers from a variety of Southeast Asian countries provide a description of their settlement experiences in Edmonton. Interviews with settlement agency staff, government officials and ethnocultural community workers round out the study. The study reveals that newcomers are largely under-served by settlement agencies. Many newcomers are not aware that settlement services are available so they depend largely on family and community resources for support. As well, those who are aware of settlement services often think that such services are available only to refugees or newcomers from certain countries. Another main problem identified by respondents was learning English. (adapted from author's abstract).

Hughes, A. Hamilton-Golden Horseshoe Consultation on Homelessness: Consultation Report. Hamilton, Ont.: Social Planning and Research Council of Hamilton and District, 1987.

Summary and recommendations of one of six regional workshops held throughout Ontario to identify the causes of homelessness and suggest solutions. Issues explored were: affordability and quality of housing, supportive housing for the de institutionalized in transition from hospital to community, emergency housing, refugee housing and housing availability. (Copyright 1988, Canadian Research Index, all rights reserved).

Juleau, Roberta, Adrian Franklin and Bruce Felniingham. Hmong Refugees in Tasmania: Employment, Housing and Community Development. www.stolaf.edu/people/cdr/hmong-au/hm - tas95.htm#summary.

The research comprises a major investigation into the settlement process, community development and economic integration of refugees and refugee- initiated communities in Tasmania. In common with most ethnographic research this project uses a number of methods and a range of data sources. The project centres around intensive fieldwork among a representative number of refugee communities and includes a social composition sample survey, follow-up in-depth interviews, participant observation and focus groups. Data from the Office of Multicultural Affairs, local Department of Immigration and Ethnic Affairs records and Australian Bureau of Statistics census data will also be examined in order to provide accurate national, state and historical contexts for the study.
The research will document and analyze the settlement careers of refugees who have arrived in Tasmania since the early 1970s. It will focus on the relationship between employment, housing, family structure and community development in this process. The research will develop some practical policy suggestions for improving the settlement experiences of refugees. The research focuses on the migration and settlement experiences of the following refugees and their families who have arrived in Tasmania since the 1970s: Hmong, Vietnamese, El Salvadoran, Chilean and Polish. Some interviews will also be conducted with more recent refugee arrivals from Iran, Iraq and Bosnia-Herzogovina.

MacLeod, Linda and Maria Shin. Isolated, Afraid and Forgotten: The Service Delivery Needs and Realities of Immigrant and Refugee Women. Ottawa: National Clearinghouse on Family Violence, 1993.

A needs assessment survey of immigrant services in Canada, with particular attention to the special needs of the female immigrant population especially in regard to abused women services. (adopted from McIrvin Abu-Laban and Wilkinson, 1997)

Mazid, Sanjida. Immigrant and Refugee Women Survey: Reproductive Health Needs Assessment for Ethno- Cultural Communities. Edmonton: Planned Parenthood Association of Edmonton, 1988.

Nann, R.C. et al. Refugee Resettlement: Southeast Asians in Transition. Vancouver: University of British Columbia Refuge Resettlement Project, 1984.

Nguyen, Hai. Legal Needs of South East Asian Refugees: A Survey. Calgary: Calgary Sponsor and Refugee Society, 198 1.

Nguyen, San Duy, T. Cooke and T.Q. Phung. Refugee Needs Assessment. Ottawa: Southeast Asian Refugee Research Project, University of Ottawa, 1983.

Seffeiddine, Samia. Refugee Adaptation: a 1997 Long-Term Follow-up Study of Newcomers. Edmonton: Catholic Social Services, Community and Immigration Service, 1997.

This study follows up a group of refugees who moved to Edmonton who were involved in the Host Program, a government settlement program set up in 1988 and designed to assist government-sponsored refugees in adapting to life in Canada. It evaluates the Host program in its ability to facilitate long term adaptation, an assessment of the settlement services received in the eyes of refugees, to identify areas needing improvement, to learn from refugees what is most useful in helping them settle and adapt to life in Canada and to identify current status of adaptation among refugees participating in the study. (adapted from author's abstract).

Stevens, Sarah. The Immigrant/Refugee Health Program: An Overview. Winnipeg: Planned Parenthood Manitoba, 1991: 12p.

In its introduction this paper gives a brief overview of the aims and objectives of the Immigrant/Refugee Health Program run Planned Parenthood Manitoba which provides culturally-sensitive services in the field of reproductive health care. Since this field is more private, more culture-dependent than almost any other you could name," the paper argues that existing Canadian Health and social services should plan for the needs of an increasingly multicultural society.(Mclrvin Abu-Laban and Wilkinson, 1997)

Tyndale-St. Georges Community Centre. Somalian and Tamil Refugee Women in Montreal: Twenty Case Studies: Montreal Shire and Coomarasamy, 1988.

Chronicles the integration experiences of twenty women in the Tyndale-St. Georges region of Montreal.

Yau, Maria. Refugee students in Toronto schools : an exploratory study Toronto: Toronto Board of Education, Research Services, 1995.

Examines the situation of refugee students in Toronto public schools, the response of school staff to the change in student population, and ways for teachers, schools and the school system to help such students. Findings are based on interviews, observations of local school team meetings, data from student registration files and the 1991-92 Every Secondary School Student Survey, and related literature. Suggests ways in which the Board could provide information for school staff, refugees and their parents; how schools can help meet refugees' needs through a whole-school approach and outreach to parents; and how the system can offer necessary in-service support to staff, use existing resources more effectively and solicit external support. Expresses the hope that this paper will help raise educators' awareness of and sensitivity to the issue. (Copyrights of Micromedia Limited: The Canadian Education Index 1976 to present. All Rights Reserved.)

YOUTEC (Consulting firm of Jack Santa Barbara). Southeast Asian Refugee Settlement in Metro Toronto: Refugee Sponsor Views. Toronto: YOUTEC Consulting, 1980.


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