Hopes, Homes, Havens

Fostering Belonging for Newcomers and Refugees

The right to asylum isn’t just about ensuring legal status and basic material conditions. It’s also about building belonging. For people in search of safety, this looks like:

– having their voices heard

– fostering meaningful connections with community

– being respected and represented as part of the social fabric and civic life of both the community and broader nation.

The Hopes, Homes, Havens storytelling project was created as a research and advocacy tool to help foster belonging for newcomers and refugees. If you are interested in partnering with us on, contributing to, or sharing the Hopes, Homes, Havens resource, please connect with us at info@scscglobal.org.

Our Approach

Homes, Homes, Havens Interactive Storytelling Map

Stories have the power to unite us and highlight our fundamental human connections.

The Hopes, Homes, Havens map is an interactive map of the journeys of those forced to flee. This map centres the voices and experiences of people seeking asylum to raise awareness about the realities of forced migration.  

Through audio and video stories, Hopes, Homes, Havens showcases people’s reflections about their hopes and dreams, why they left home, and the lives they left behind. The interactive map also shows some of the havens that offer shelter en route and features the work of local community actors, to highlight our collective power to foster more inclusive societies, where feels they truly belong. 

View the Hopes, Homes, Havens Map 

Research

Through our Social Connectedness Fellowship program, we have supported research on the complex factors driving people from their homes and the multi-faceted process of connecting in new communities.  Learn more about past research projects:

Social Connectedness as Fostering Relationships between Indigenous Peoples & Newcomers to Canada: Gaps, Facilitations, & Future Directions by Paarth Mittal, Social Connectedness Fellow 2022  

Considering Alternatives to Immigration Detention: Implementing Community-Based Case Management Through Newcomer Support Services and Organizations in Ontario by Waghma Ahmadzay, Social Connectedness Fellow 2022   

The Unique Strengths and Weaknesses of Refugee Integration in Second Tier Cities by Sarah Roberts, Social Connectedness Fellow 2020 

The Post-Migration Mental Health of Asylum Seekers and Refugees in Quebec by Priya Nair, Social Connectedness Fellow 2019 

Community-based Approaches to the Integration of Refugees and Asylum seekers in Montreal by Céline de Richoufftz, Social Connectedness Fellow 2018 

Asylum Seekers and Refugees with Intellectual Disabilities in Europe by Amy Luce, Social Connectedness Fellow 2018 

Facilitating Resilience-Building and Social Connectedness in the Refugee and Asylum Seeker Population of Greater Montreal by Ana Sofia Hibon, Social Connectedness Fellow 2017