EUSEBIO GARCIA

More Than A Job

Eusebio Garcia is a busy man. At work and in his personal time, he works tirelessly helping newcomers. It isn’t easy, but, like always, Eusebio perseveres.

Four days a week Eusebio is at Friends House guiding newcomers through the legal side of immigration. He advises new refugees and immigrants on everything from work permits and social assistance applications to translators and housing.

The services that Friends House provides are open to everyone, so Eusebio deals with all sorts of cases. He calls it “emotional work.” He helps people being held in a detention center, along with their families. This workreminds him constantly of his own experiences and he often draws on them to counsel people. It can be difficult, but Eusebio feels it’s well worth the effort.

The work doesn’t stop when Eusebio leaves Friends House. He was a board member of the Centre for Spanish Speaking Peoples, worked with the Multilingual Literacy Center, and, through his workplace, is also connected to the Canadian Council of Refugees (CCR). Eusebio works with OCASI to develop Refugee Rights Month. The list is a long one: if an organization improves rights and community resources for the
Salvadoran community or refugees then Eusebio wants in. One of his favorite projects was La Paz Coop, a Salvadoran community housing project where he lived for 11 years.

Eusebio is a professional and volunteer settlement worker at the same time. It can be taxing, but Eusebio never lets that slow him down.