Most people 'have no clue' what refugees face to access housing, care. A new system in Hamilton could help

As registered nurse Birgit Umaigba sees it, "most people don't know what refugees go through. They have no clue."

Accessing healthcare as a newcomer or asylum seeker involves navigating a complex web of systems, while often dealing with language barriers, as Umaigba and others described at a recent conference in Hamilton.

Terri Bedminster, who directs social service organization Refuge: Hamilton Centre for Newcomer Health, said it's common for newcomers to have to make multiple stops to get what they need, including housing and health care, travelling from place to place.

With new funding from provincial and local agencies, her team is hoping to make it easier for Black refugees in particular to get what they need. And, her agency would help by coordinate services more efficiently, she said.

"We know the value of coordination and understanding what the whole person is experiencing," Bedminster told CBC Hamilton.

Bedminster helped bring healthcare and social service workers together on May 10 in Hamilton to discuss ways to collaborate, reduce barriers to care, and treat conditions that disproportionately affect Black people. 

The conference also aimed to find solutions for refugee care, after Hamilton saw numerous asylum seekers arriving from African countries last year, including Kenya and Uganda, who were living in shelters or on the streets, needing access to healthcare, housing and other support.

The event opened with a drum performance from Leo Nupolu Johnson. The charity director who lived in a refugee camp before coming to Hamilton told the crowd that while Western countries are often willing to respond to crises, "we don't see the same type of energy when it comes to the building" of social infrastructure. 

Going forward, Bedminster says her organization will take on a coordinating role with other social services who interact with newcomers, such as shelters.

The goal is not to become a one-stop shop, or centralize services, she said. Instead, their hope is to better coordinate with other organizations so that no matter whose door a newcomer knocks on, they can find what they need.

For Bedminster's team, next steps include launching a new program to connect newcomers with primary health care, building out their team, and connecting with cultural groups. 

"We are open to folks reaching out to us," she said. 

Collaboration within communities on a range of services is something other advocates says is needed. 

On a panel discussion at the May conference moderated by Refuge co-founder Hodan Ali, topics included improving access to translation services in health settings, making sure research takes systemic racism into account, and advocating for better health policy.