It's been one year since community groups got together to prepare for the influx of Syrian refugees.
Since December of 2015, 844 refugees have been accepted into the community. That is 159 families with 499 children.
"All of the sectors came together with that one objective of being welcoming. So that as the most outstanding thing, and compared to many other communities in both Ontario and Canada at large we can say we've done a tremendous job," says Camila Alves, manager community engagement and training with the Multicultural Council of Windsor and Essex County.
Alves says all of the refugees coming into the community have been moved into permanent homes, have connections with health care professionals, and been assessed for educational placements.
"They're doing well, the children are doing well in school. Of course things don't go without bumps, but once those are identified or any particular needs, now we have a very structured network of main stream services for them to access," says Alves.
Alves expects the number of Syrian refugees in the community to reach 1,000 by the end of 2016.
"It's important as we move forward and get into 2017 that people don't forget that Windsor is a resettlement community and we are a welcoming community," says Alves.
