Each week we will post a summary of interesting and representative 211 calls. This week, we have a connection from Manitoba.

Manitoba:

Many Canadians have opened their hearts and even their homes to Ukrainian people fleeing the war in the Ukraine. They want to help Ukrainians newcomers become settled in their new home, but in order to do that, they need accurate information about the services available in Canada. 211 Service Navigators will listen and ensure that newcomers from the Ukraine are referred to the services and assistance that meet their needs.

A 211 Service Navigator took a call from a man who had welcomed a Ukrainian family into his home. Another family from the Ukraine was looking into coming to Winnipeg with their young adult son who had a disability. They wanted to know what services would be available for them and their son upon their arrival in Canada.

The Service Navigator listened to the caller and asked questions to clarify the situation to better help the family. The family definitely needed answers to their settlement questions and an overview of services available to people with disabilities. They did not want to overwhelm the family with too many agency contacts at once. A virtual appointment would work best as the family was not in Canada yet.

The family was referred to the Ukrainian Reception Centre where they could book an appointment virtually and find out more about what would be available to them upon arrival. The caller was quite happy to be able to book a virtual appointment with the centre in order to explain the situation of the family and the son’s needs when they settled in Winnipeg. The Service Navigator encouraged the caller to contact 211 again if he had more questions about services, and to provide the 211 number to the family he was helping.