Frequently Asked Questions:

Q:  How were the land and construction costs of 101 Ontario Street covered?

A:  3 million dollars was donated to Sojourn House by the City of Toronto’s Supporting Community Partnership Initiatives (SCPI), a fund allocated to municipalities to assist with developing transitional housing for the homeless.  This money purchased the land and will be used in construction costs.

Q:  How does Sojourn House raise money for its operational costs?

A:  Sojourn House receives per diem funding from the City of Toronto.  Funding is also provided by Hostel Services and private and corporate donations.

Q:  Does Sojourn House assist non-status individuals?

A:  Non-status individuals are people who have received a negative court decision on their refugee claim.  They have not been granted refugee status and are thus unable to remain in Canada permanently.  Non-status individuals are able to appeal the decision and may still be granted refugee status.  Sojourn House welcomes these people.  Non-status individuals who have been through the appeal process and still receive a negative decision must leave Canada.  Sojourn House continues to assist these people while they work through their Pre-Removal Risk Assessment (PRRA) until they are deported.

Q:  Where do refugees come from?

A:  Depending on what is happening around the world, refugees come from different places.  At the moment, Sojourn House is mostly home to refugees from Africa, Latin America and the Far East.

Q:  How do they arrive in Canada?

A:  Refugees arrive in Canada in many ways.  The luckiest few arrive on planes having liquidated all their assets and those of their family members to pay for the flight.  One young woman arrived in Canada by plane with the story of a generous uncle who had sold himself into slavery to send her to safety.  Other refugees arrive by car or foot at the American border.  The majority of refugees arrive by boat, having stowed away in a freighter, or arriving on rafts and dinghies.  All refugees arrive in Canada in fear of being turned away and in hope of a safe future.

Q:  What kinds of trauma have refugees experienced in their homelands?

A:  Refugees arrive in Canada for a number of reasons.  Some have experienced torture at the hands of their government for their political views.  Others are fleeing a home torn by war.  Refugees often come with trauma, either from personal experience or from what they have witnessed around them.  Young women arrive, having become pregnant from a rape by warring soldiers.  Young men arrive malnourished and having been beaten during a stay in prison without having committee a crime.

Q:  Who gets here?

A:  The refugees who arrive in Canada are those who were able to secure passage.  Most refugees who arrive in Canada are educated people who were professionals in their homeland.  Their job and their ability to save money ensured they had access to the funds needed to flee when the need arose.  Other refugees arrive having been sponsored by a Canadian resident.  Often, these are previous refugees who have integrated into Canada and are financially able to sponsor their families.  Many religious groups also sponsor refugees and bring them to Canada.

Q:  Why do refugees need transitional housing?

A:  Shelters only offer short term housing (three to six weeks), though many refugees are unable to move into permanent housing within six weeks of their entry into Canada.  The refugee determination process, learning English as a second language, overcoming the emotional trauma that brought them to Canada, and the sheer quantity of forms and paperwork that must be completed, often mean that refugees have not yet found adequate employment to cover the cost of living when they are required to leave the shelters.  Transitional housing offers refugees a stepping stone, where rents are subsidized and support programs are still offered, that can keep them off the streets and allow them the time they need to complete the refugee process and identify and cultivate their transferable skills for employment in Canada.

Q:  What makes the need of refugees different than the need of other poor and homeless?

A:  Refugees have the skills and desire to be contributing members of Toronto.  They had jobs in their own countries often despite adversity and rampant poverty.  While they work through the refugee determination process, refugees are not provided with legal working papers and are thus unable to secure the jobs to which their skills can be put to use.  During this time when they are recovering from hurt and trauma and have left behind everything is familiar, refugees need our support.

Q:  What is the difference between a refugee and a refugee claimant?

A:  In common usage, refugee takes the place of a variety of other words including refugee claimant, non-status individual, and refugee. 

A refugee claimant is a person who has not yet received legal status from the government.  They are in the process making a refugee claim and are working through the refugee determination process. 

A refugee is a person who has been granted status as a refugee through the refugee determination process.  They have been granted paperwork to work and live in Canada permanently on the basis of their refugee claim.