About Us
HRSSI (Hope Refugee Settlement Services International) is a non-profit, non-political charitable organization dedicated to advocating for Eritrean refugees desperately seeking asylum in Canada and connecting them to resources and public services aimed at helping them successfully settle as newcomers in communities across the GTA.​
Our Story
Hope Refugee Settlement Services International was established in 2019 by a group of dedicated professional Candian Eritreans (many of whom were once refugees themselves). The organization aims to form a center point for African refugees and migrants, and the creation of such services stems from the increased needs of vulnerable communities, and a desire to empower them into becoming fully functioning members of society. Currently, we are branching out by accepting non-Eritrean migrants/refugee clients to meet the growing needs of a vibrant multi-ethnic community here in the GTA​​
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VISION, MISSION, & VALUES
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We envision a center dedicated to the celebration and preservation of our values; the preservation of life, family, dignity, and community, and this can only be done through the participation of well-integrated, established, healthy, caring, and active community members. We aim to achieve this by providing excellent quality client service and delivering comprehensive social, educational, and ethical support to newcomer families and individuals to preserve, strengthen, and promote individual well-being.
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Our organization understands the varied challenges experienced by global refugees and migrants from life in refugee camps to the feeling of relief landing at Pearson airport. Despite elated feelings of liberation, our team is all too familiar with the arduous challenges of settling into a new country, barriers to family reunification, speaking a new language, delays in the processing of privately sponsored refugees, bridging educational gaps, working multiple jobs, enrolling children at a new school, learning new cultures, addressing possible cases of PTSD, and general settlement support. Hence, we aim to ease their transition by providing our refugee clients with immediate assistance in the form of housing and settlement, employment and healthcare, and additional support in the form of workshops for healthy and sustainable living, resume and cover letter classes, parenting, youth mentorship programs, and basic language classes, to name a few.
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At HRRSI, we are committed to:
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Working within a social justice/anti-oppression framework that demonstrates our respect for newcomers and the broader community of individuals who seek our services
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Recognize our volunteers as individuals who are client-centered and result-based.
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Being accountable for our services, clients, staff, and community members who are part of the organization.
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Engaging in continuous learning and improvement to incorporate best practices.
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