Partner Promotion - IslamicFamily (Previously Islamic Family & Social Services Association)
IslamicFamily - Said Abdalla (Support Worker - The Foundations)
A big part of The Today Centre’s ability to provide our clients connection to vital resources is possible through the partnerships we have with organizations in and around Edmonton. These partnerships allow our Family Violence Specialist team to connect our clients with further support beyond what we are able to provide them here at The Today Centre. Whether it’s from finding housing and shelter, connecting them with legal assistance, applying for EPOs (Emergency Protection Orders), long-term family violence support, or counselling, the partnerships we make with other organizations enable us
to connect our clients to help they need beyond assistance with family violence. These partnerships are vital to the services we provide! And did you know that we have partnerships with over 50 organizations in Edmonton and area? We truly value each and every partnership we make!
Since these partnerships are so important to the work that we do and the service we can provide our clients, we wanted to highlight some of them in a partner promotion series. We sat down with Said Abdalla, a Support Worker with IslamicFamily, to ask a few questions about the services IslamicFamily provides and what our partnership with them looks like. Check out his answers below!
About IslamicFamily
What Does islamicfamily ‘do’?
IslamicFamily is a culturally and spiritually sensitive social service provider. Our services are open to all, regardless of background, religion, culture, sexual orientation, or gender. IslamicFamily works on addressing security, safety, and the growth needs of its clients through a range of programming and services that include culturally appropriate food hampers, crisis support, domestic violence intervention, refugee support, preventative youth programing, and more. IslamicFamily has been the leading voice against domestic violence in the Alberta Muslim community for over 25 years.
What is the history of IslamicFamily? How did the organization start and how long has it been around?
The humble beginnings of Islamic Family began in the basement of an Edmonton community member in 1986. We began as a small organization looking to uplift our local community through culturally sensitive care. In 1992 we were officially incorporated as ‘Islamic Family Social Services Association’ or ‘IFSSA’ for short. The name we chose reflects the Muslim background we arise from and mirrors that of other religious services commonly seen in the community, for example, Catholic Social Services.
In 2000, our South warehouse opened as a food bank and in 2009, we expanded our services to include counselling and outreach programs. Most recently we transitioned earlier this year from ‘IFSSA’ to ‘IslamicFamily’. As an organization we recognized that the acronym of ‘IFSSA’ was challenging to understand and long for others to remember, even amongst team members.
People come to us because we share a set of values or they appreciate our values, and they most often hear about us through word of mouth. Keeping ‘IslamicFamily’ puts simplicity and clarity at the forefront and yet still keeps the essence behind why people come to us for support. It is also easier for people to find us, which is very important.
As the years have gone by, we have continued to expand our programs and services to include a more diverse and holistic range in caring for families and the community.
What are IslamicFamily’s core values and What do they represent within the organization?
Our values as an organization are represented in the work that we do and the people that we serve. We strive for inclusivity, compassion, and to be community-led. As an organization we really try to meet everyone where they are at and enable them to access the supports that are needed. Regardless of your background or situation, we are here to help.
“This is difficult work and being able to achieve connections, refer clients, and benefit from monthly case consultations, has been a big support.”
Programs and services
What services and programs does IslamicFamily offer?
Many of our services and programs are divided by department. We offer essential services like food, basic necessities and hygiene products, and addressing any ‘urgent’ needs. Our Family Support strengthens families by providing counselling and support, and our Counselling Connective Hub, which provides culturally sensitive and Islamic-integrated counselling. Our Newcomer Support helps immigrants and refugees thrive in their communities. The Green Room provides Muslim youth, ages 18 to 24, a space to connect, grow, and express themselves. It provides belonging and creates opportunities for them, particularly through a mentorship program that is also run out of the Green Room.
We also have Community Engagements that offers support circles to foster skills, connections, and healing community. For example, activities like painting, art, and sewing, to bring people together and provide opportunity for families to meet new friends of the same background and language.
Our Prison Programming and Re-Entry supports incarcerated individuals by fostering community, providing advocacy, and resources and support in encouragement of personal growth. Recently, one of our colleagues working in the Prison Programming, has been advocating for the provision of meals catered to Islamic dietary needs within the prison system. Through his advocacy the government approved his requests and have begun to implement Islamic dietary needs into prisons!
We provide Education & Training programs that equip community members with vital skills to navigate daily life confidently as well as inform them about topics with relevance to them, such as sewing skills, money management, etc.
IslamicFamily is a federally approved Sponsorship Agreement Holder, which means we are accredited to look at the eligibility of refugees for sponsorship and provide approval for family members to become sponsors through IRCC. Our team also provides newcomer supports, systems navigation, home visits, airport welcomes, and community referrals.
The Foundations program provides domestic violence support to adults, as well as any youth in teen dating violence relationships or those fleeing family violence in their homes. We provide safety planning, emotional support (not counselling), court support, and any applications that may need to be filled out. Through this program we offer a benevolence fund for clients in urgent need. The fund can assist a client in need of paying rent, utilities, groceries, etc. and is usually based on income, as well as whether someone has a plan for securing income support otherwise. We provide all of our services to survivors of family violence regardless of whether they have left the situation or not.
Overall, our services are holistic and meant to be well-rounded in providing for families in various ways and at any age.
How are people able to access services?
There are a variety of means through which someone can access our services. The first is a help line that is available 7 days a week from 10 AM to 10 PM, except for stat holidays and Eid. We are able to provide our services in Somali, Arabic, English, Urdu, Farsi, and a few other languages as employees are available.
Clients can also access our services through our website by filling out an external referral form. Or they can stop by our office in-person Monday to Friday 11 AM to 3:30 PM. Monday to Thursday our food bank and outreach programs are open, however on Fridays the food bank is closed. An outreach worker is available every day during open office hours and is happy to assist anyone!
We also receive referrals from external partner organizations, like The Today Centre or probation officers, which are completed through an internal referral form.
The process
What does the intake process look like?
Our Intake Process varies per program. Each program also has varying waitlists based on need, for example, our food bank has a 6-8 month waitlist due to the sheer number of individuals in need. Each person who reaches out to us is put on an intake list and we work through the list as we can within our capacity.
When someone is referred to us or contacts us, we strive to have an outreach worker reach out within 2-3 business days after contact. If someone reaches out via our helpline, a referral form will be completed during the intake call.
We usually support and have clients stay with us in the temporary grocery basket program for an average of six(6) months to one(1) year. For clients that have been with us for more than a year we do try to connect them to other supports before having them move on from our services.
Lastly, a counselling intake worker is available through the helpline from 10 AM to 4 PM and an outreach worker is available 4 PM to 10 PM.
our partnership
How do you see the benefit of a partnership with The Today Centre and what have you been able to achieve because of it?
As partner organizations, we really appreciate being able to support each other not just as organizations but as colleagues in the field of family violence. This is difficult work and being able to achieve connections, refer clients, and benefit from monthly case consultations, has been a big support.
Most of our team has also taken many of the family violence trainings that have been offered by The Today Centre. Another of our team members has also been a part of providing an ethno-cultural background during the Family Violence Across the Lifespan trainings offered by The Today Centre, which entails identifying the cultural baggage or factors that are unique to each person in situations of family violence.
We have also been able to work together on tackling complex client situations, as well as being able to provide a more culturally integrated service for those who need it.
We refer clients through direct email referral forms sent from Outreach Worker to Family Violence Specialist and vice versa. These referrals are exchanged directly between service providers to ensure a smooth transition that is based on a firm and confident knowledge that a client is a fit for service with the other organization.
How are you grateful for our partnership and see it moving forward in the future?
We are grateful for this partnership because we are able to lean on each other as organizations for support and encouragement! Through this partnership and being able to provide more well-rounded support for both of our clients, we are thankful for this connection and the work we have been able to achieve together. We hope this partnership continues for years to come and we are able to collaborate together on more projects in the future!
Growth of the Organization
How many people does IslamicFamily regularly see? What has been the growth of the organization?
Each year, we regularly distribute 8000 food hampers to clients and receive around 140 refugee sponsorships.
Over the years IslamicFamily has grown and been shaped by the needs of our community as we’ve responded to them. We now have ten(10) different languages spoken by counsellors. After our legal incorporation in 1992, we began with serving Bosnian refugees. In 2000 a tiny South Edmonton warehouse opened for food aid. Services continued to expand with the establishment of our counselling and outreach programs in 2009. Our youth program launched in 2010 as part of our Youth Empowerment Initiative. From 2015 to 2016, we were actively involved in the Housing Stability Project whereby our housing project officially began. In 2016 we achieved Sponsorship Agreement Holder status and established a partnership with the Edmonton food bank. In 2018 we launched the prison programming initiative as part of our prison support services and started the Global Stitches program, which provides refugee women access to sewing machines and the opportunity to build sewing skills.
As we’ve grown, we’ve delved into the digital world with a new client database that provides more opportunities and capabilities for reporting and data tracking! In 2010 we became Imagine Canada accredited, and in 2022 we opened our new office space in central Edmonton. Throughout all of this, we have built up a team of 2100 active volunteers!
Where do you see IslamicFamily growing in the future?
IslamicFamily is entering the realm of affordable housing in partnership with CIVIDA! Through the incredible generosity of funders, we have purchased land not far from our current office in order to be able to offer sustainable housing opportunities for more people and families in need of safe, accessible, and affordable housing. We are hopeful for this project to come to fruition soon!
We are in the beginning stages of starting a Toastmasters Club centered on supporting organizations and individuals in their public speaking and presenting skills, with engaging activities and workshops that build on these skills. This would be offered for staff, service providers, and community members!
Overall, we hope to be able to grow in providing more holistic and wrap-around services like income support, employment, housing, etc., through the partnerships and support we have with other organizations!
Anything else you’d like to add?
There is lots going on at IslamicFamily all the time, including events! We often have workshops for staff, service providers, community members, and the public, where we’ll have a guest speaker come in to share about a specific topic relevant to a particular audience.
We hope you’ll stay connected with us by following us on Instagram, Facebook, and signing up for our newsletter!
Get in touch with islamicfamily
address
2-786, 10545 108 Street, Edmonton, AB T5H 2Z8