This Mental Health Awareness Week, ISSofBC is recognizing the importance of connection, belonging, and community in supporting mental wellbeing — especially for newcomers, refugees, and asylum seekers rebuilding their lives in Canada.
The settlement journey can bring enormous emotional challenges, including trauma, isolation, uncertainty, language barriers, financial stress, and separation from loved ones. At the same time, many frontline settlement and counseling staff also face significant emotional pressure as they support clients through complex, often deeply difficult experiences every day.
Trauma-informed support from our teams
At ISSofBC, we are proud of the compassionate, trauma-informed support our teams provide through programs including:
▪️ BC SAFE HAVEN — supporting refugee claimants and asylum seekers with settlement services, legal navigation, housing and employment support, English language services, and referrals to mental health and trauma counseling.
▪️ Moving Ahead Program (MAP) — providing confidential, specialized support for newcomer individuals, youth, and families facing complex barriers such as trauma, family challenges, social isolation, housing instability, and mental health concerns.
▪️ VAST (Vancouver Association for Survivors of Torture) — offering counseling and support for refugees and newcomers affected by trauma, torture, violence, and displacement.
▪️ BC Refugee Hub — connecting refugee claimants, sponsors, service providers, and communities with trusted resources, information, and support networks across British Columbia.
This week, we encourage everyone to:
💙 Be kind
💙 Listen without judgment
💙 Check in on one another
💙 Build stronger connections in our communities.
Explore mental health and wellbeing resources here:
🔹 BC Refugee Hub
🔹 VAST
🔹 Mental & emotional wellness resources
Thank you to the incredible staff who support newcomers and refugees every day, including Bahar Taheri, Mona Hassannia, Shae Viswanathan, Mahi Khalaf, Jennifer York, Shafiq Hakimi, Ajlin Mehmedi, Zari Moradi, Kathy Sherrell, Elias, Hilal, and Chaplain Duku.
