Moving to a new community is difficult at best. A southeast organization is hoping to make that process easier.
Southeast Advocates is an organization that operates out of Estevan and Weyburn to help newcomers and their families get settled in the southeast. Cali-Marie Mack is the Settlement Workers in Schools (SWIS) coordinator for Estevan. She works with schools around the city to help students and their families get their life started in the community.
"A big struggle is actually finding housing. So, when they first come into our office, they immediately get set up with our settlement advisor. What he does is he basically helps the parents complete important tasks such as finding a place to live, obtaining a driver's license and navigating other local things like finding doctors," she shared.
The process is simple, Mack explained. In most cases, schools in and around Estevan contact Southeast Advocates to let them know of a student or a family that needs help getting settled. After the parents meet with the settlement advisor, the organization helps them obtain the necessary paperwork to help people settle into their new community. Often, Southeast Advocates help families get kids registered at schools or daycare. Others need help finding a home to move into.
She noted that once their client is settled, the work isn't over. "We still keep in touch until they do become a Canadian citizen, if they would like to. We're here to support them through absolutely anything and everything we can."
Southeast Advocates has been getting young people involved recently, with two programs aimed to broaden their reach -- Peer Leaders and Southeast Youth for Change. The goal is to have more young people, some of which were newcomers themselves, give back to the community through monthly community service initiatives. A group of student volunteers cleaned leaves from the outdoor patio at the Long Term Care Facility at St. Joseph's Hospital.
Mack admits that much of their services aren't well-known in the community. That's why the non-profit is hosting a registration and information night on October 29 at the Nicholson Centre from 6:00 - 8:00 p.m. She's hoping for more awareness to their cause to help more newcomers throughout the southeast.
Newcomers can reach out to Southeast Advocates by phone at (306) 637-4920 or by email at estevan.swis@seadvocates.org.
