Welcome to MatthewHouse.com
Welcome to Matthew House
Matthew House is a small shelter network 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 three 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 for refugees. To date, shelters in Ft. Erie, Windsor, Hamilton, Cambridge, Vancouver and Ottawa have been opened based on the Matthew House model (some under the same name) .
As its vision is spreading, and the need for appropriate shelter in our city continues, Matthew House Toronto has is pleased to have opened two more long term, "transitional homes" nearby to even more effectively carry out its programs.
Matthew House regularly conducts exciting (1 hour) "Hope at the End of the Refugee Highway" shelter tours. Please contact admin@matthewhouse.ca if you are interested in signing up for a tour.
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!