Fixing the System

All 50,000 refugees who come to Canada each year have their own settlement challenges.

Some cannot communicate the problems with their apartments. Others cannot find rewarding work. Still more are children left to navigate the system alone.

For two weeks, we have highlighted some of these challenges. Now, we want to highlight the solutions.

Canadians sometimes forgot getting here is half the battle. Integration is a much harder process that can stifle the potential of the refugees here to start a new life.

So, how do we fix that?

First, imagine a system that assists with shelter.

Shelter is among the most basic of human needs. Sadly, there isn't much affordable shelter here - next to the United States, Canada has the smallest non-market housing sector among industrialized nations. In Toronto alone, few new rental-units have been built and existing prices have increased at twice the rate of inflation.

That makes for a tough market.

"Refugees don't know anyone," says Mario Ayala, refugee services director at the Inland Refugee Society of B.C. "They have no references when applying for rent so no one is willing to rent to them."

Short-term shelters provide the services integral to settlement. But, there simply aren't enough, meaning refugees must turn elsewhere. In 2001, Toronto homeless shelters reported 800 refugee claimants at any given time.

When shelter is found, entire families often share squalid, one-bedroom apartments. The families rarely complain and authorities rarely check-in.

To fix this problem, more settlement councilors are needed to explain tenant rights and help find suitable housing. Transition assistance could then give refugees the deposits they need, moving them from temporary to permanent housing more quickly.

To further help, imagine a system that works towards better mental health.

It's no secret many refugees have experienced immeasurable trauma on top of having to flee a country, leaving everything behind.

In an already overburdened mental health system where wait lists can last months, Mario Ayala says therapists aren't always essential. Churches, mosques, community groups and cultural associations can support and welcome a newcomer. Including contact names in welcome material and ensuring on an individual level that newcomers bond with their community ensures they are not isolated - not left alone to cope.

Next, imagine a system that strives for building careers. The story of the cab driver whose engineering degree isn't recognized is so common, it's cliché.

But, career counseling could help him. In the struggle to pay for rent, food and survival, trained refugees take minimum-wage jobs that don't realize their potential. With the help of a councilor, he could better navigate the process of certification.

Then, through an established volunteer program or training service he could gain Canadian experience and make contacts in the field.

If his potential goes to waste, Canada loses out.

But, most importantly, these measures are essential to imagine a system that puts children first.

Child refugees are particularly vulnerable. Affordable housing is most often available in the poorest areas. When parents struggle in minimum-wage jobs, the prospect of money through gang membership is appealing - especially when some gangs actively recruit from refugee populations.

"Minors, especially those who come unaccompanied, are easy prey for gangs and drug dealers," says Ayala.

That's why helping their parents find housing and work is so important. That eliminates the worry. Then, focused attention at school and mentoring through organizations like Boys & Girls Clubs or cultural associations can drive home the future opportunities.

When those opportunities aren't realized, we not only fail our newest citizens - we fail ourselves.

The 50,000 refugees will come to Canada are not just 50,000 stories of integration. They are people with potential if just given the opportunity.

That's the system we imagine. Let's make that system happen.