Multicultural Access to Social Support Initiative (MASSI)

Feb 8

Indus Community Services is an accredited, not-for-profit community benefit organization that has served local communities for over 35 years. This registered charity is supported by all three levels of government and continues to be a leader in the provision of culturally appropriate services to newcomers, families, women, and seniors in the regions of Peel and Halton.

CHALLENGE

With almost half a million South Asians living in Peel, unique needs have emerged in terms of navigating complex family issues. A growing number of families and immigrants are in need of supports to navigate parenting and fostering situations. There are limited culturally adapted programs that provide families experiencing stress due to various situations involving parents and children.

INNOVATION

The MASSI (Multicultural Access to Social Support Initiative) project is designed to address the gap in culturally appropriate family services by offering a holistic service delivery model that encourages the presence of cultural facilitators and supports. Given the prevalence of social stigmas, isolation, and other barriers faced by such groups, Indus’ program aims to provide extensive parenting mentorship through a trained cohort of volunteers. In addition, they aim to connect parents to community programs, social networks, and develop multilingual resources that can enable them to prepare and care for their children without resorting to foster care. Lastly, with this program they will be able to educate South Asian families about kinship and relative adoption possibilities in cases where this may be a better solution as opposed to fostering in a family with different cultural or religious practices. Peel Children’s Aid Society has collaborated with Indus Community Services to launch and facilitate this program.