Welcome to MatthewHouse.com
Welcome to Matthew House
Matthew House is a small shelter in central Toronto that welcomes and assists newly arrived refugee claimants who have come to the end of a long journey on the refugee highway. Matthew House believes that God's call to "welcome the stranger" includes refugee claimants from all nations, irrespective of ethnicity, religion, political ideology, or sexual orientation. Matthew House strives to be a place where God's love is felt and communicated within an atmosphere of welcome and peace. Since opening as a permanent home in August 1998, Matthew House has provided shelter and assistance for hundreds of newly arrived refugees who would otherwise have been homeless in Toronto. They have come from more than 80 different countries including: Albania, Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Angola, Burundi, Colombia, Congo, Cuba, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Iran, Iraq, Liberia, North Korea, Rwanda, Somalia, Turkey and Zimbabwe.
Unfortunately, without even advertizing its existence, since opening, Matthew House has had to turn away more than four times the number of refugees it has sheltered due to lack of space. As a result, one of Matthew House's vision is that of encouraging, inspiring and assisting other groups in establishing their own shelters and ministries to refugees. To date, shelters in Fr. Erie, Windsor, Hamilton, Cambridge and Vancouver have been opened based on the Matthew House model. Currently other groups in places such as Ottawa and Montreal are also opening similar shelters for refugees.
As its vision is spreading, and the need for appropriate shelter continues, Matthew House Toronto has recently opened a second more long term, "transitional home" nearby and hopes to expand its current space even more to effectively carry out its programs.
Stay tuned for more updates on our expansion plans!
The Canadian Council for Refugees (CCR) of which Matthew House is a member, recently printed a report entitled State of Refugees in Canada 2008 You many download it here by clicking on the title.
Please browse through our website and if you have any questions, feel free to contact us. Enjoy!