WELCOME INN COMMUNITY CENTRE OF HAMILTON

Together with community members in Hamilton’s north end Welcome Inn Community Centre works to alleviate poverty loneliness and marginalization by offering supportive relationships promoting wellness and providing capacity-building opportunities. Welcome Inn currently has four program areas and all four program areas are designed to foster wellness in eight key areas: emotional physical social financial intellectual occupational environmental and spiritual wellness Children’s Programs: •Learning and Fun Afterschool Program: The LAF program is designed to provide academic supports social opportunities and mental health resources for children who experience poverty or marginalization •Summer Day Camp: The summer day camp provides elementary school-aged children an opportunity to participate in group games outings craft time and recreational opportunities •Teen Talks: Welcome Inn’s youth program is a youth-empowerment program that invites youth to work collaboratively to create mental health-related programming that can be shared with other youth programs Senior’s Programs: •Diner’s Club: For isolated and vulnerable seniors Welcome Inn runs a congregate dining program that includes a volunteer-cooked meal and an afternoon educational and social program •Community Visitation Program: Welcome Inn’s volunteer-based visitation program connects seniors with volunteers who visit regularly. For those with more complex needs staff and trained volunteers offer mental health supports housing assistance support with food insecurity and relational supports Food Access Initiatives: •Food Bank: The food bank which is open to all community members includes an intake process that allows staff to explore possible supports and referrals that may help reduce food insecurity •Nutrition Awareness Programs: Throughout the year staff and volunteers run educational programs and prepare sample dishes Community Programs: •Tax Clinic: Welcome Inn’s volunteer-run tax clinic connects community members including recent immigrants to Canada with knowledgeable volunteers who assist with the filing of their annual returns •Peer-to-Peer Support Groups: Support groups for recent immigrants are offered in multiple languages and are open to those looking for settlement supports •Settlement Supports: Welcome Inn has multiple staff that work closely with recent immigrants and they are available to help fill out paperwork and assist with the settlement process

Throughout the pandemic Welcome Inn expanded programming to meet the growing need within the community. Food and essential items were delivered to isolated seniors and we improved access to our food bank by adding additional hours of operation and an appointment system. More recently we launched new supports for recent immigrants including peer-to-peer support groups ESL conversation circles and settlement supports. A brand new component—Life Navigation—has also been added to our seniors visitation program. Seniors with more intense needs can now receive assistance with housing issues mental health concerns and relationship support.