OUR STORY

Modelled after Matthew House in Toronto, our name derives from our Christian roots. We are motivated by Jesus’ call in Matthew 25:35 to feed, clothe, shelter, and serve our global neighbours who arrive into our community.

The key values that guide our work come from our Christian foundation and include:

• hospitality

• loving service

• compassion

• respecting human dignity

• building community.

These values inform our programs and interactions between staff, volunteers, and the people we serve. We seek to serve in ways that offer dignity and humanity to those who have been marginalized.

Starting over is never easy. And for the hundreds of refugees who arrive in Ottawa each year, starting over can feel impossible. Many find themselves sleeping on the streets or in crowded shelters. they wonder how they will ever find a job or a safe place to live in a city full of strangers. After fleeing violence, they now find themselves facing a whole new set of obstacles.

We believe that no one should face these challenges alone. For the refugees we serve, Matthew House Ottawa is more than just a place to live: it is the promise of a new beginning. The people who walk through our doors come with little more than sheer will and the clothes on their backs. After a few months with us, they leave with the skills, resources, support, and confidence to live independently in their new home in Canada.

We also offer on-site support for making a refugee claim, getting a job, finding a house, and adapting to life in Ottawa. Whether it is connecting with a lawyer or doctor, or helping to write a résumé, we are here to make the transition easier in a highly stressful time. As one former resident recalls:

“The environment was so very different from the shelter I’d stayed at before. I had a bed of my own, a place to lie down and rest. From the second I walked through the door, it felt like home. My soul settled for the first time since leaving for Canada. I knew then that I was going to be okay. . . . I’m living proof that everyday people can touch and change lives. After all, it’s thanks to Matthew House Ottawa supporters that I am where I am today. I’m so blessed to have been given this second chance.”

We believe that nobody should have to sleep and eat on the floor. And so today we furnish hundreds of households each year through a furniture bank program for those moving to permanent housing. This service helps newcomers and low-income families make their house a home. Clients sent to us by social services and community partners can walk through the showroom with a volunteer. By choosing the items they want for their homes, they get the dignity of choice. This is a very different experience after months or years spent navigating systems that controlled so much of their destiny.

At Matthew House Ottawa, we offer the gift of a new beginning. Many of the people we serve have had to leave everything behind, and they are eager to get back on their feet. In meeting people’s basic needs, we remove a big weight off of their shoulders. As Raxon describes it, “It was a big burden to have no furniture and no money to buy any furniture. Coming to the furniture bank and receiving the items we needed was a big relief.” The people we serve consistently share with us that they feel dignity, gratitude, hope, and empowerment in the process. Like Arao, whose family needed beds, mattresses, and living room furniture. “When we first moved to Ottawa, we were sitting on the floor. . . . The furniture made our home look beautiful. I was so grateful.”

With basic needs met, empowered people become connected to a supportive community and are able to stand on their own as they start their new life. Many of the people we serve give back to their community after getting support themselves, like Bemvindo:

“Matthew House Ottawa didn’t know me, but they were so kind and helped me fully furnish my empty apartment. My family feels so blessed . . . I now volunteer because I want to be a part in helping others have the same experience as I had with Matthew House Ottawa’s furniture bank program.”

This is perhaps the most important outcome of our work. The people we serve are themselves answering a call to serve others, to help those in need, and to build community and to offer hope. This is a virtuous cycle that will continue to transform our community and country for the better.

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Matthew House Ottawa relies on people like you to continue to open more doors in our community. Here’s how you can help:

• Donate: you can make a donation online or cheques can be mailed to 380 Centrepointe Drive, Ottawa ON K2G 6A1.

• Volunteer: We currently need volunteers to support our furniture bank and refugee services programs. Click here for more info and to apply.

• Donate Furniture: If you have gently-used furniture to share give us a call at 613-591-6681. And please spread the word among your networks as well.

• Pray: for past, present and future residents and furniture bank clients

Since 2010, Matthew House Ottawa has welcomed hundreds of refugee claimants, and provided quality used furniture to more than 7500 families in need. Thank you for helping to make this important work possible!