Southeast Newcomer Services is a one-stop-shop for anyone that is new to the country, from another part of the country or relocating from an Indigenous community to settle in Southeast Saskatchewan.

They are funded by the Saskatchewan Ministry of Immigration and Career Training which means that they can provide all of their programs and services completely free of charge.

Just this week they announced that they hired a new Settlement Advisor for their Weyburn location named Laura Eddy.

Eddy has lived in Weyburn for close to 25 years with her family and she originally grew up in the Lampman area before making the move to the city to attend Southeast College.

"So right now I'm just promoting the new position and letting people know that I am here and that we've moved locations as well," said Eddy. "If you are new to Saskatchewan I can help you apply for your health card. We can also help people that are new to Canada with an application for their Child Tax Benefit. We can also give out information on how to have newcomers' credentials looked at to see if they qualify for Canadian citizenship. We have resources here to help them see what Weyburn is all about and we have packages for them that share information on daycares and what schools are available."

She shared that Southeast Newcomer Services can also help people to look for employment and said that they can assist in the entire process of finding and applying for different careers in the area. They can even provide computers, printers, fax machines, and any other resources that may be needed in seeking employment.

They can also support newcomers with information, referrals to English classes, language assessments, and appropriate community and government resources to people arriving in Southeast Saskatchewan.

"As the COVID restrictions have been lifted and we kind of see how the summer plays out my hope is to be able to have events that we've had in the past that they may have never participated in before," expressed Eddy. "So we'd like to get them into the community. We have a list of places that they can volunteer at. With their volunteering, they can meet people. Whether you're new to Canada or just new to the Weyburn area it gets you out in the community, you can meet new people, and for some people, it's just a way to practice speaking English."

Eddy said that she is looking forward to being able to help people get involved in the community of Weyburn and stated that she is proud to live here.

She also said that one of the biggest challenges right now is getting the word out to newcomers that they can reach out to them for many different forms of help and assistance.

Southeast Newcomer Services works collaboratively with community organizations to ensure that newcomers are able to access community services in a timely manner.

If you are unable to make it to their location in Weyburn they can come to visit you at your home if you'd like.

You can reach Laura Eddy by calling the office at 306-842-9081. Their office has recently changed locations and can now be found at #1 -203 1st Street in Weyburn. Eddy is available to help you Monday to Friday from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. and from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.

You can learn more about Southeast Newcomer Services by following them on Facebook or by visiting their official website.