{"id":11578,"date":"2021-05-19T07:58:09","date_gmt":"2021-05-19T06:58:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/techfugees.com\/?p=11578"},"modified":"2021-05-27T09:45:04","modified_gmt":"2021-05-27T08:45:04","slug":"%f0%9f%87%a8%f0%9f%87%a6-news-from-techfugees-toronto-the-housing-network-pilot-project","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/techfugees.com\/ar\/all_news\/%f0%9f%87%a8%f0%9f%87%a6-news-from-techfugees-toronto-the-housing-network-pilot-project\/","title":{"rendered":"🇨🇦 News from Techfugees Toronto: The Housing Network Pilot Project"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t

Techfugees Toronto is launching The Housing Network Pilot Project <\/b>this summer in collaboration with the Toronto-based refugee settlement organization, <\/strong>Romero House<\/b>. <\/strong>Through this project, Techfugees Toronto aims to develop a digital service connecting refugee claimants to access vacant houses, or apartments<\/b>.<\/strong> In order to meet this objective, the chapter is reaching out to housing providers across the GTA to identify individuals and companies who are willing to provide short-term or long-term housing to refugee claimants. The aim is to support Romero House by using this vetted list of housing providers to help clients transition from temporary to affordable, suitable permanent housing faster.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
Credits: Ashim D\u2019Silva<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t

Techfugees Toronto arrived at the idea of connecting refugee claimants to housing after collaborating with settlement organizers, refugee claimants and experts supporting housing policy and research in a workshop in December 2020.\u00a0 A major takeaway from this session was that there is <\/span>a need to forge stronger connections between housing providers and settlement organizations<\/b><\/strong>, as housing providers are often missing from the conversation on how to improve access to permanent housing for refugee claimants. The Housing Network Pilot project intends to close this gap by sourcing suitable housing providers for refugee settlement organizations and shelters, and developing strategies for community relationship building.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

Interested in joining the project as a housing provider or learning more about the project?\u00a0Set up a 15-minute conversation with Techfugees Toronto\u00a0<\/span>by filling out<\/span> this contact form<\/a>.<\/strong><\/h5>
\u00a0<\/h5>
\u00a0<\/b><\/h5>
Access to Affordable Housing in Toronto<\/b><\/h6>

Toronto has been experiencing a <\/span>housing crisis<\/b><\/a> for several years. The <\/span>demand for affordable housing<\/b> outweighs the supply of homes available for rent. Unlike the provincial and federal definition of affordability, which states that rent should not exceed 30% of gross annual household income, the City of Toronto\u2019s affordability definition is stated to be below market rent value. This definition is problematic given that \u201cbetween 2005 and 2015, one-bedroom apartment rents increased by 20%, while Toronto median household income increased by 5%\u201d<\/span> . As part of the <\/span>HousingTO 2020-2030 Action Plan<\/span><\/a>, the City of Toronto will change the city\u2019s affordability definition to match the 30% or less household income metric employed elsewhere in Canada.<\/span><\/p>

While the need for affordable housing extends far beyond newcomers to Canada, refugee claimants experience some of the hardest housing challenges as they do not receive the same support as sponsored refugees or permanent residents. The focus on refugee claimants is important because prior to COVID-19 in 2019, <\/span>Canada received 64,000 in-Canada refugee claims<\/b>, the highest annual number on record. Many of these claimants are still looking for permanent places to live in Canada. Discrepancies in financial, social and emotional support are illustrated in the chart below. Techfugees Toronto created this chart based on public government resources on refugee status types and through interviews with professionals in the settlement space.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
Canadian Refugee Status Types by Services Upon Arrival<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t

<\/p>\n

This chart points to a clear gap in services for refugee claimants upon arrival, which is particularly troubling given the spike of refugee claims in 2019, as well as the affordability crisis in Toronto. This lack of services is likely related to the number of <\/span>common barriers identified by refugees and supporting settlement organizations when it comes to finding housing. These barriers make it even more difficult for refugees to be competitive tenants in a housing market with limited availability:<\/span><\/p>\n