Culturally Sensitive Shelter System for Muslim Women
By Ameena Fatima
Sep/Oct 2024
When she needed to help a family friend escape an abusive situation, Zena Chaudhry learned quickly about the realities of navigating the shelter system for Muslim women. Seeing the microaggressions, lack of sensitivity and absence of accommodations for religious and cultural practices, she knew something had to change. And that’s when Sakeenah Homes (now Sakeenah Canada) was founded.
Sakeenah Canada strives to provide the essential support and services that empower women to become healthy, independent and thriving members of society. This charitable organization has come a long way since its inception in 2018. Starting with just remote casework services, it now operates nine transitional homes nationwide and shelters in Toronto, Brampton, London, Montreal, Ottawa, Winnipeg, Regina and St. John’s, as well as the first long-term housing project for Muslim women and children located in Windsor, Ontario.
Sakeenah Canada’s transitional shelter program consists of a plethora of services designed to help women with every facet of their journey toward independence. The process starts when a client calls in and is assigned a caseworker. If needed, she and her children receive immediate shelter in a transitional home. Along with receiving food, shelter, essentials and therapy in the home, women work with their caseworkers to build up their life skills and education, get access to the legal resources they need and are even offered reconciliation services, when appropriate.
Caseworkers also connect women with employment, long-term housing opportunities and to the diverse network of mental health therapists and counselors. The existing child and youth programs offer holistic support with age-appropriate programs in the areas of socio-emotional learning, social and life skills, mentorship and more.
Chaudhry and her growing team are seeking to change the nature of social work services and fill the gaps to uplift people in all circumstances. Sakeenah Canada also offers remote casework and mental health services, as well as an innovative food program to tackle food insecurity: The People’s Market — full of cultural foods, halal meat, dairy products, fresh produce and non-perishable items available in a traditional food bank setting — is set up like a grocery store so they can shop in a dignified manner. Since its inception, the market has served over 2,800 families and distributed over 160,000 food items. It hopes to expand its service to a second location later this year.
Filling the Foster Care Gap
The next critical gap the organization is working to fill is foster care. As North America’s first licensed foster care agency for Muslim children, a status it achieved in 2022, its goal is to ensure that Muslim children in the foster care system receive culturally and religiously sensitive care in a safe and loving environment. From receiving halal food and accommodating observances like Ramadan, to respecting beliefs and attire, every child deserves to feel safe and secure in his/her foster homes.
The journey hasn’t been easy, for it also involves trying to dismantle the Muslim community’s apparent distrust of children’s aid agencies. The Children’s Aid Society’s recent accreditation of Sakeenah Foster Care has gone a long way to mitigate some of this distrust.
The process of becoming a Sakeenah Foster Care foster family, which involves comprehensive training and sensitivity to the needs of all children, lasts for three to six months. While the agency welcomes children of all faiths and cultures, it prioritizes equipping foster families with the necessary tools and support to provide the best possible care on all levels. Sakeenah regularly hosts community outreach programs to recruit more foster families, partnering with masjids and local organizations. To date, over 300 Muslim families have shown interest and many have begun taking the steps toward becoming foster families.
Beyond the basic requirements, Sakeenah Foster Care, recognizing the trauma of placement changes, provides mental health services and financial assistance for extracurricular activities, thereby ensuring that these children feel included and supported within their communities.
Looking ahead, Chaudhry envisions slow and steady growth and establishing a strong presence in Ontario before expanding to other provinces. However, her goal extends beyond borders; she hopes to bridge the gap in the U.S. as well, ensuring that every child who needs a foster home can find one that respects and understands his/her cultural and religious identity.
In essence, Chaudhry’s pioneering efforts are not just about changing the foster care system, but about creating a more inclusive and supportive environment for all children. With Sakeenah Foster Care leading the way, the future looks brighter for Muslim children in Canada and beyond.
Find out more at www.sakeenahcanada.com
Ameena Fatima is a freelance writer.
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