Regional Chair statement in response to increased demand for settlement services in Durham Region

Whitby, Ontario – The following statement is being issued on behalf of John Henry, Regional Chair and Chief Executive Officer for The Regional Municipality of Durham:

“Durham Region strives to be a welcoming and inclusive Region; working together with community partners to co-ordinate the settlement of newcomers, including refugees and asylum-seekers, in our communities.

We—like other municipalities across the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area—have expanded our services to support the influx of arrivals of refugees and asylum-seekers, while they establish themselves in Canada.

These expanded services have included the activation of emergency shelter systems as well as providing wraparound services to help newcomers settle in the region.

Over the last few weeks, the number of newcomers arriving in our community has increased. And, despite our best efforts, we cannot keep up with this demand. We have exhausted the capacity in our system and any funding we had available to support newcomers.

We need provincial and federal assistance to help sustain the costs associated with this emergency response. Our local programs have exceeded capacity; with unprecedented financial and occupancy pressures.

The sad reality is that it leaves many newcomers homeless or at risk of becoming homeless.

Although we continue to advocate for urgent funding and access to housing facilities, we cannot support refugees and asylum-seekers—arriving at unprecedented numbers in Durham Region—without the support of our upper levels of government.

More information on settlement services and supports in Durham Region is available at DurhamImmigration.ca/SettlementServices.”

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For media requests, please contact CorporateCommunications@durham.ca.