How we came to be…
The “Refugee Engagement Association (Reach YYC)” is being created as part of the Mosaic Refugee Health Clinic System Navigator Project, which is a collaboration between the Canadian Mental Health Association – Calgary Chapter (CMHA Calgary) and the Mosaic Refugee Health Clinic (MRHC), both of which are located in Calgary, Alberta. The Refugee Mental Health Navigation Project was funded by the Green Shield Canada Impact Flow Trough Fund at the Calgary Foundation as a pilot project for 2 years (July 2020 to June 2021)
The Mosaic Refugee Health Clinic System Navigator Project was born out of MRHC’s need for a Mental Health System Navigation Program that would successfully connect its patients with the appropriate community-based mental health programs and services. Refugees face a unique set of mental health concerns. Escaping their home country for safety in a new city brings with it a myriad of traumas: PTSD, survivor's guilt, anxiety, depression, and a sense of lost agency in one's own life. The MRHC in Calgary provides appropriate services but are overwhelmed by demand. Often their clients could be equally served through existing community services which would allow the clinic to focus on higher acuity clients. While these community services exist, access remains a daunting task for someone active in their own crises and with limited language and navigation skills. Refugees often feel connected with the settlement agency which first helped them when they arrived in the city, however, these agencies are not properly trained to provide mental health services. Mental health serving agencies are positioned to provide services but lack the cultural competence, language skills, and awareness to fully serve this population. Through conversations with both refugee and mental health serving agencies, a singular need for a Mental Health System Navigator emerged.
It was identified early on that even though the goal of the project was to connect refugees with mental health programs and services at the community level, this would constitute only a short-term fix. For a long-term, sustainable solution, we needed to find ways of empowering individuals to develop their potential and help others within their own community, thus building capacity within the refugee communities to achieve and maintain mental wellness throughout their resettlement process in Calgary.
The idea was born then and there, of creating a legal entity that could function as a safety net to catch and redirect individuals to the many wonderful Non-Profit Agencies serving Refugees and Newcomers in Calgary and to those delivering programs and services in Mental Health.
Because we know that Mental Health is not a stand-alone issue, we know the only way to address it effectively is to look at the person as a whole and consider their history, values, culture, and biases. We also know connection is one of the pillars of mental wellness and coincidentally, one of the most important factors for newcomers’ successful adaptation into their new community.
The Refugee Engagement Association Community Hub YYC (Reach YYC) is a grassroots organization created and ran by refugee individuals and community members, to foster ongoing alliances between refugee and their host communities.
Our goal is for the refugee community to achieve Mental Wellness by minimizing their most common stressors: lack of community connections, poor language skills, and barriers to employment.
