1. At COSTI, we understand that hope means different things to different people. By filling people’s lives with hope, we’re helping build a strong and prosperous community. COSTI provides the means to a brighter future. A PATH TO HOME : Supporting Housing Needs for Newcomers November 2015 Yasmine Dossal

2.  COSTI is a not-for-profit community-based multicultural agency in Toronto providing employment, educational, settlement and social services to all immigrant communities, new Canadians, refugees and individuals.  Services are provided out of 17 locations across the greater Toronto area.  COSTI serves 35,000 clients each year.  Over 100 partnerships with mainstream and ethno-specific organizations across the province of Ontario  300 staff – over 60 languages

3. The Goal of the Program : Is to support the housing needs of newcomers through three key core services:  Case Management  Community Capacity Building and  Coordination

4. Objectives: The program addresses three core objectives in a holistic approach through a variety of services and activities as part of the continuum of care: Housing Access – providing dedicated access to specialized housing Housing Stabilization – providing services to prevent homelessness, address hidden housing issues and make the transition from homelessness to housing Eviction Prevention Eviction Prevention – in the case of evictions, provide necessary supports as needed

5. Target Group and Eligibility:  Recent immigrants and resettled refugees who are homeless or at risk of homelessness  Living in Canada for more than one year and less than three years but not a citizen

6. TORONTO PROJECT: Overview 2015- 16 Case-managed 25 cases, totalling 83 clients Countries: Afghanistan, Colombia, Iraq, Iran, Myanmar, Pakistan, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Somalia, Sri Lanka and Sudan Singles – 4Housed – 5 Source of income unknown - 2 Families – 21Evicted – 2 Males – 36In school - 21 Females – 47Employed – 5 Disability cases – 4OSAP - 1 Mental Health – 2Ontario Works – 19 ODSP – 3

7.  Housing - Rights and Responsibilities of Tenants and Landlords  Financial Literacy – budgeting, filing income tax, managing credit, credit report and score, debt, tax deductions, etc.  Education: kinds of schools available, cost, OSAP  Employment: labour marker information, work place culture, rights and responsibilities of employer and employee, labour laws etc.  Domestic violence, rights and responsibilities as a resident

8.  We provide assistance and support to newcomers for a period of 12 months in a desk-free and mobile fashion.  We utilize a client-centred approach that is sensitive to the client’s right to receive quality information and to be empowered.  We coordinate with various institutions and service providers, particularly when there is a language and/or cultural barrier  Good partnerships with local private and public landlords, many community organizations (community health services, food bank, furniture bank)  Good working relationships with our internal Housing Programs, Client Support Services Program, Language and Employment Programs  Able to work out of multiple COSTI locations across the GTA in order to provide services to clients in close proximity of their homes

9.  Assisting clients find affordable and appropriate housing in the GTA, especially if they have a bad credit history  Low income status of all clients makes affordability in the housing market a challenge  Discrimination towards newcomers with limited English; of particular faith or ethnicity; unemployed or on Ontario Works or ODSP  Unrealistic expectations of clients that the program will assist them with quick access to good quality subsidized housing for less money

10.  Finding employment opportunities when clients are still learning English and/or caring for children or family members with serious illnesses.  Having clients take up employment – part time or fulltime.  Encouraging and supporting clients to join or continue with LINC classes, so that they can better compete in Canada’s job market.  Extracting basic information from clients.  Working with clients with disabilities.  Distances that newcomers and program staff are required to travel across the GTA – time and cost of travel

11.  Costs of accommodating multiple interpretation needs of newcomers who are in the early stages of English language acquisition  Clients not responding to phone calls, texts or emails and not keeping to their appointments or accessing referrals  Poor turn out at workshops – due to personal commitments or lack of proximity to where they reside

12.  Need to advocate for housing supplement/subsidy for clients  Need to build trust and strong relationships with clients as soon as possible.  Difficulty case managing clients who have been in the country for more than one year – housing and other needs already met.  Need to assist clients for over a year to see the impact of case management from the housing lens  The need for increased interpretation and staff travel budget.

13.  Reduce the ‘one year period in Canada’ eligibility criterion.  Advocate for housing supplement/subsidy for clients.

14.  Eviction case due to overcrowding: Assisted an Iraqi family of 7 residing in Mississauga to move from a 2-bedroom apartment renting for $1,400 to a 3-bedroom apartment in the same area renting for $1,300 including utilities (hydro and parking).  Eviction case: Assisted a client from St. Lucia with one child to move from a shared accommodation with her friend ($650) to a 2-bedroom apartment renting for$950.  Assisted a Sudanese family of 12 to access hidden benefits through Ontario Works, (for their 18-yr. old adult child who needed diapers) with the process of applying and obtaining approval from OW. Also assisted family with receiving donated dining table set and armoire from an Italian family.  Family of three from Bermuda were assisted with their PR cards and provided opportunities for volunteering at COSTI Housing Help program; now also accessing COSTI Employment Services.

15. Yasmine Dossal Director of Social Services dossal@costi.org