Why some GTHA municipalities are ending programs that provide temporary accommodations to Ukrainians
CBC
For about a year, hotel rooms funded by municipalities in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area (GTHA) have provided a landing pad for Ukrainians fleeing war, as they settle into new communities. But now, there are fewer options available for displaced Ukrainians, as some municipalities wind down services.
Peel Region began winding down its temporary accommodation program as of June 15, and on July 1, York Region began to do the same.
Katherine Chislett is the commissioner of community and health services with York Region. She said when council approved the project last year, it hoped to secure federal funding — but that didn't happen. Chislett said it's disappointing that the region will no longer be able to offer the supports.
"Really what it does take is funding. It is something we're hoping for from the federal government or even the provincial government. But it comes down to that. We'd love to continue the work if we could. It's needed," Chislett said.
Chislett said York Region's program has served more than 250 people, and said it would cost $2.5 to $3 million to keep it going for another year.
Since GTHA municipalities launched their temporary accommodations and services last year, the federal government has also launched more of its own services, including ramping up its own program, which provides hotel accommodation for Ukrainians for up to 14 nights.
Chislett said she's hopeful those services will "cover some of the gap," but she said two weeks generally isn't sufficient.
"What we've been finding is it takes people about, you know, four to six weeks or so to come over, you know, get settled, to find a place to live, to find a job. It can't happen within two weeks," Chislett said.
Yasmine Dossal works for COSTI immigrant services, which has been providing services to Ukrainians in York Region, including helping them to find permanent housing, open bank accounts, find jobs, and learn to navigate their new community. She said having a number of weeks where they can stay in a hotel is "critical" for families' wellbeing.
"It gives them time to settle down, understand the culture and belonging, and be able to feel safe and welcomed in a new place before they move into a permanent housing," Dossal said.
She said the termination of some of the accommodation programs in the GTHA will affect families, "and also for us too, we don't know where to make referrals to them."
In a statement to CBC Toronto, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) said it "has taken, and will continue to take, action to help all newcomers, including the Canada-Ukraine Authorization for Emergency Travel visa (CUAET) holders."
IRCC said CUAET visa holders continue to have access to settlement services normally reserved for permanent residents.
Eugen Duvalko, the program director of the airport reception service with the Canadian Ukrainian Immigrant Aid Society, said municipally-run programs have been "very useful and maybe [have] run [their] course," now that other programs are available.