2017 Embracing Diversity Full Report

In regard to accessing support services, focus group participant experiences suggest that these
services are not being fully utilized. For example, only three individuals accessed employment
services, two accessed recreational services, one individual accessed housing support services,
one accessed legal services and none of the participants with children accessed childcare or
childminding services. However, six individuals had been to their local library and four did
acquire driving licenses from Service Ontario. One participant did correspond with the housing
department for months, but required further support and faster service in finding an affordable
home. Importantly, employment insurance and medical services were noted as the most helpful
services accessed by two participants since moving to the area.
The Stratford Welcomes Refugees Committee reported that there was a smoother transition for
refugees when service providers came together in advance to coordinate with one another on how
to best serve the refugees needs. An example of services collaborating to better serve newcomers
could be seen as families accessing ESL classes were also able to access childcare services at
the YMCA daycare located at Northwestern High School where the ESL classes are held. This
approach has been referenced by several communities as an emerging practice of interest.
Overall, transportation and social activities in the community were repeatedly brought up as
services to be improved. Examples of desired social activities include festivals, art exhibitions,
meeting places for dancing, drinking, and karaoke as well as outdoor activities for children.
Overall Community Integration
“In the first week I was here,
I was happy—I thought it
was my home.”
Community members have made some
newcomers feel welcome. In the focus
groups, some of the participants described
the individuals that they had interacted Participant, Huron County
with in the community as being friendly
toward them. The newcomers also felt respected and valued. In fact, two focus group participants
expressed that they already felt that this area was their home.
In the Huron focus group, self-identified feelings of integration were diverse. The persistent theme
of loneliness made some participants in Huron feel that the community was not welcoming to
them. They felt they had to navigate the services and daily life on their own, with little support.
As understood from the highlighted quote below, others in Huron have multiple supports and a
more positive outlook on living in Huron County. This is consistent with other research that found
privately sponsored refugees have greater support and integration in the community 26 .
26 Dhital, Dikshya. (2015). The Economic Outcomes of Government Assisted Refugees, Privately Sponsored Refugees and Asylum Seekers
in Canada.
22 Newcomer Experiences