Asset & Capacity Building Programs

Asset & Capacity Building Programs

To be able to help participants meet their goals, our program includes the following activities:

Money Management Training classes adapted to an English-as-an-Additional-Language (EAL) format with culturally relevant information about transportation loans and the Refugee Assistance Program (RAP),
Matched savings credits that are added to the funds that participants save on their own,
Peer support and the opportunity to share their experiences with money, ways to deal with issues such as the pressure to send money back home
One-to-one support from IRCOM staff.

There are very specific criteria for participating in an Asset Building Program, and registration happens only at the beginning of each new session. However, you do not have to live at IRCOM to access the program.

Click on the following links for more information about each Asset Building Program IRCOM offers:

The Saving Circle (SC) Program supports low-income individuals and families as they save for needed assets including:

Furniture
Medical expenses
Computer
Education
Small business start up or expansion
Other household necessities.

Participants in the SC Program open special matched savings accounts and their savings are matched 3:1 by IRCOM up to a specified limit. Participants have up to six (6) months to save toward their asset goals.

The Individual Development Account (IDA) Program supports low-income individuals and families as they save toward:

Renovating a home
Their own or spouse’s education
Children’s education
Starting or expanding a small business
Disability supports.

Participants in the IDA Program open special matched savings accounts and their savings are matched 3:1 by IRCOM up to a specified limit. Participants have up to two (2) years to save toward their asset goals.

Newcomers with a refugee background owe the government of Canada transportation loans that run as high as $10,000. The Immigration Loan Repayment Program aims to provide these newcomers with a family-centered money management training and matching funds to support them and reduce their transportation loan debt.

Family-based Financial Literacy group sessions
Loan repayment problem-solving support
Matched loan repayment funds
One-on-one support

For more information on Transportation Loans and to get involved in advocacy around the issue, visit the Canadian Council for Refugees website.

The Access to Benefit Program aims to provide low-income community members who face significant barriers to financial inclusion with enhanced financial stability and asset building opportunities by providing equitable access to government income support programs and financial services through a financial empowerment approach.

The program activities include:

Completing the paperwork and navigating the bureaucratic systems required to accessing government benefits such asincome tax refunds, the Canada Child Tax Benefit, the GST Credit, the Disability Tax Credit and
Providing support in obtaining the ID required to access government entitlements, financial services and other benefits.
Supporting clients in accessing saving and asset building opportunities such as the Registered Disability Savings Plan (RDSP), the Canada Learning Bond and RESPs.
Helping clients set financial goals through individualized financial literacy sessions.
Providing problem solving support

To qualify for IRCOM’s Asset Building Program you must…

Be a newcomer to Canada in the past 5 years
Be at or below the program’s income cut-offs (ask ACBP staff for further details)
Have a strong desire to improve your financial future
Meet other criteria specific to your savings goal
Not be a past Program participant of either SC or IDA at IRCOM or other agencies

How do I apply?

Contact the ACBP Coordinator at 204-306-9851 or by email at info@ircom.ca to register for an Information Session or for more information.

IRCOM’s Asset Building Programs are offered in partnership with…

SEED Winnipeg Inc.
The United Way of Winnipeg
Assiniboine Credit Union
The Province of Manitoba

Programs

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Greening Program

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