This Profile of Effective Practice is one of fifteen stories examining how innovative, community-based initiatives are using comprehensive approaches to improve social and economic conditions on a local level.

The time was the early 1980s, the Vietnam War was drawing to a close and people were fleeing the brutal and dangerous conditions of their homelands. Many were ending up in refugee camps throughout the region as the violence had spread to include surrounding countries such as Laos and Cambodia. As the rest of the world increasingly realized the plight of the hundreds of thousands of refugees, countries like Canada began to open their doors to them. While moving to a region far from the perils of conflict was a welcome opportunity, the transition and acculturation to another society was not as simple as just showing up and participating. In order for newcomers to realize full social inclusion, bridging and resource infrastructure had to be created.