The Centre for Community Based Research (CCBR), in partnership with the Durham Local Immigration Partnership (DLIP), recently developed a comprehensive evaluation framework to assess the impact of DLIP and its initiatives in alignment with its 2025–2030 Community and Inclusion Plan.

CCBR partnered with the New Brunswick Multicultural Council to evaluate the Settlement Workers in the Schools program, working across five regions in the province with newcomer students grade K-12. The evaluation focused on assessing SWIS service delivery and outcomes for newcomer students, parents, educators, and SWIS staff.

CCBR will be working with the Chatham-Kent Local Immigration Partnership (CK LIP) to develop their Community Plan. We also intend to co-create an Impact Statement to clearly articulate and communicate the LIP’s vision to all interest holders. This work will integrate anti-racist and GBA+ approaches to planning and communication.

CCBR conducted an evaluation of the Harm Reduction Community Care Project to understand how this collaborative initiative supported harm reduction workers and their communities. Through document review, surveys, focus groups, and interviews, CCBR examined the project’s impacts, strengths, and challenges. The findings helped identify ways to enhance future programming and strengthen community-based harm reduction efforts.

CCBR led a summative evaluation of JVS Toronto’s pre-arrival program, which has supported 10,000–12,000 individuals over the past five years. The evaluation assessed the program’s long-term outcomes and provided recommendations for improvement, while also revising the evaluation framework to incorporate GBA+ considerations. This work was carried out in collaboration with JVS Toronto’s Steering Committee, included both quantitative and qualitative data collection through client surveys and focus groups.

Reception House partnered with the Rohingya Centre of Canada and CCBR to conduct an evaluation of Rohingya Clients' post-exit experiences, after leaving the Client Support Services (CSS) Program. Funded by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), the CSS Program provided intensive case management to Government-Assisted Refugees (GARs) for 12 to 24 months, based on individual needs.

CCBR partnered with the Community Alliance for Accessible Treatment to collaboratively design and conduct an evaluation of the Rainbow Resilience Program. The Rainbow Resilience Program addressed the critical health equity needs within 2SLGBTQ+ immigrant and refugee communities impacted by HIV/HCV with the intention of understanding and addressing gaps in sexual health services in Ontario. CCBR also provided coaching on research and evaluation to strengthen CAAT’s capacity to promote the health and wellbeing of people living with HIV (PHAs) who are facing access barriers related to their precarious status in Canada.

CCBR collaboratively conducted a program review of Mennonite Central Committee Ontario’s Walking with People in Poverty Program. This project synthesized evaluation data collected to date and conducted conversations with staff, partners, and funders to explore MCC Ontario’s current strengths and potential opportunities to better address poverty alleviation needs and service gaps. Recommendations were made for MCC Ontario’s future poverty programming.

CCBR and the New Brunswick Multicultural Council (NBMC) led an evaluation of the Rural Settlement Network (RSN), which spans seven rural and Francophone communities in New Brunswick that have experienced (2019-2024) a rise in immigration. This project explored client, employer, and community partner perspectives on all seven organizational members of the network, their activities, and their impact.

Woolwich Community Health Centre (WCHC) contracted CCBR to collaboratively design and conduct an evaluation of their immunization program with Low German Mennonites in rural Woolwich and Wellesley Townships. The purpose of this summative evaluation was to assess the barriers and facilitators to vaccination uptake among immunized program participants and provide recommendations for future immunization programs and outreach.

CCBR partnered with the Toronto Newcomer Office (TNO) to create and implement an evaluation framework for the Toronto Newcomer Strategy (2022-2026). The project involved creating a theory of change, developing data collection tools, and conducting a mini-implementation to test these tools. Guided by a diverse Steering Committee, the project culminated in a community forum to share preliminary findings and discuss next steps with stakeholders.

CCBR, in partnership with MACC, led a 2.5-year project examining the barriers Muslim women in Halton face when seeking support for gender-based violence. The project identified community, systemic, and service-related barriers; documented promising culturally informed practices; developed recommendations for policy and practice; and shared findings through survivor narratives, reports, an infographic, a webinar, and a community summit.