Your first few months in Manitoba will be a flurry of activity, getting yourself and your family settled and familiar with your new home. You are lucky if you have family and friends in Manitoba who can help you out in this period, because you will need it. Moving requires a lot of work and expense. It is a good thing that there are many charitable, not-for-profit groups and organizations in Manitoba that help out those who are in need.

Here are the top five most immediate settlement needs and the places to get free or low-cost resources:

1. Help for temporary housing

Upon arriving in Manitoba, shelter against the elements is the most immediate need of refugees and newcomers. Even immigrants who have been here for a while may have a need for a safe place to go if they have been evicted or turned away by relatives. Some women may be fleeing from violence in the home. If you find yourself in any of these situations, contact:

• Immigrant and Refugee Community Organization of Manitoba (IRCOM)
• Manitoba Interfaith Immigration Council, Inc.
• Accueil Francophone

It is recommended that you get in touch with a settlement service provider upon arriving in Manitoba. They can assess your needs and link you to the right services. Those in regional Manitoba can contact Westman Immigrant Services in Brandon, South Central Immigrant Services (Regional Connections) in Morden,Altona and Winkler, and Eastman Immigrant Services in Steinbach. There may also be Neighborhood Immigrant Settlement Workers near your area who can help you with your immediate needs.

2. Furniture and other houseware

For your place to be truly a home, you would need beds, kitchenware, tables and chairs, and other houseware. The wonderful people at Hands of Hope and Centre Flavie-Laurent are ready to help you in your furniture and houseware needs.

Thrift shops are also great places to find slightly used, affordable household items:

• Salvation Army Thrift Stores
• The Goodwill Stores
• Value Village Stores

Here’s a great list of thrift stores in Winnipeg (from Save Money in Winnipeg): Thrift stores.

3. Food

It is vital for you and your family to be nourished so that you can stay healthy and active. To put food on the table or supplement what you have, food banks and soup kitchens can help. Some of these organizations may just be near you:

Food banks:

• Winnipeg Harvest
• Adventist Community Services
• Riverwood Church Community
• Salvation Army

Soup kitchens

• Missionaries of Charity
• Lighthouse Mission
• Siloam Mision
• Union Gospel Mission
• West Central Women’s Resource Centre

You can also go to NorWest Co-op Community Food Centre in Winnipeg for food and nutrition support.

4. Clothing

You will need proper clothing to stave off the cold Manitoba winters, or maybe to dress up for a job interview. You can go to the following places for free or low-cost clothing:

• Clothes Closet
• Siloam Mision
• Union Gospel Mission
• North End Women’s Resource Centre Up Shoppe
• Wolseley Family Place

Clothing is another specialty of thrift stores. You can check out stocks at the Salvation Army , The Goodwill Stores, and Value Village.

5. Primary healthcare

You and your family members may be susceptible to minor health problems because of stress caused by the process of moving and adjusting to a new place. To avail of primary health care, you can go to this directory: Accessing care. You can also read our article Accessing health care to understand your options.

Remember that there is no shame in asking for help. These services are there precisely to help you. Hardships are usually just temporary, and with the help of organizations and well-meaning people, you and your family can get through this period with ease and comfort.