Syrian Refugees and Refugees in Canada

CBC Radio Metro Morning: On CBC Radio Metro Morning, they talked about the struggle to find a home in the Greater Toronto Area, according to CBC. Syrian refugees waiting in GTA hotels face hurdle in cost of housing Refugee agencies making headway in housing Syrians, but thousands still need homes Syrian refugees feel 'stuck' in downtown hotel Syrian refugee refuses to relocate, thought Winnipeg 'was another country' Unlike the thousands of privately-sponsored refugees in Canada, government-assisted refugees arrive in this country with no committee or church group waiting to help them get settled. The family of government-assisted refugees has been living at the Toronto Park Plaza hotel in Etobicoke since they arrived from a refugee camp in Lebanon in late January. So far, 1,077 government-assisted refugees have been settled into homes in the GTA, while another 850 are still waiting in hotels across the city, according to COSTI immigrant services, which helps refugees and immigrants settle in Canada. Everything was clean' At least four families left the Toronto Plaza Hotel to move into their new homes Thursday, thanks to the work of COSTI. Ali and Almoor say they hope they'll be next. COSTI executive director Mario Calla said "affordable housing is challenging at the best of times" in an email to CBC News. "It takes time to find housing that accommodates larger-size families and is also within their budget," he said. "With 4,500 Syrian newcomers arriving in such a short time, it taking longer for them to find their first home." COSTI said refugees currently staying in Toronto hotels are not the same as those who arrived three months ago, adding many of them are landing on an ongoing basis. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.