Asylum seekers looking for housing....

[Ka-El]

The article states half of settled refugees will stay on welfare, 5 years after landing in Canada. How is that not long term?

I did take the time to read the article you posted a link to. The article suggests somewhere between 50 and 90 % will have to transition to provincial welfare. One of the reasons will be that having to learn a new language is not so easy, and English is one of the most difficult languages to learn (just look at the trouble some of the posters here have with it). AS noted though, we still need to make the distinction between being on welfare for the rest of their lives, and being on welfare for a transitional period and what we, as a society, are willing to invest to move them along as quickly as possible. Five years is no doubt a long-term period, but these people came from countries without any social safety nets and sitting on their duff while collecting welfare is not part of their psyche. The vast majority still go on to become tax-paying, contributing citizens, grateful and loyal to their new country.

This isn’t something new. As also noted we have been doing this for decades. In this situation, we had great numbers in a short period of time (they were desperate and escaping a horrific situation), and it was/is a high profile matter that some want to use for political gain – from both ends of the political spectrum. As also noted in the article you linked, even if every Syrian refugee ended up on welfare (which they won’t), that would increase the overall caseload by 2.85. Not a completely insignificant number to be sure, but hardly enough to overwhelm the system. Sadly, despite the facts, some people would still love to use these people as scapegoats. This is an investment. The same type of investment we should be (and to some extent, are) making with all disadvantaged and disenfranchised people in Canada. Blaming people solves nothing. Helping people does.

Some fun facts:

Most resettled refugees arrive in Canada with a significant debt burden, since they are expected to repay the Canadian government for their transportation to Canada as well as the cost of their medical examination undertaken as part of their processing to come to Canada. Refugee families therefore often begin life in Canada with a debt running to thousands of dollars. Interest is charged on this loan at a rate set by the Department of Finance each year.

http://ccrweb.ca/en/pensioners-myth

Refugees pay more income tax than millionaire investor immigrants

http://www.cbc.ca/news/business/refugee ... -1.2984982

humanitarian investment yields economic benefits

http://www.opennetwork.net/wp-content/u ... rk_V13.pdf

[Sparki55]

humanitarian investment yields economic benefits

http://www.opennetwork.net/wp-content/u%20...%20rk_V13.pdf

That was a decent read. It looks for ways to explain that a refugee can provide economic growth after leaving the social assistance program. The expenses mentioned are only the direct expenses that the refugee sees, not the total expense to have a program, the extra cost for police officers, the cost to admit them etc. The other article did mention the refugees are expected to pay back their travel and initial medical expenses which is fair.

A quote for the original topic:

Iftikhar, who says he fled violence in Kashmir, says he's walked as far as he can in every direction looking for an apartment, but hasn't found anything to accommodate his family of five.

He says authorities at the shelter gave him a one-week transit pass and a list of possible addresses to check out, but so far he hasn't had any luck.

"There is nobody to help," he said as he watched his children play in a park near the shelter. "I want to leave here but I don't know what to do."

This is true for many people in Canada and is what I have a problem with. Our economy doesn't work for many people working for less than $20 an hour. It is going to be hard for this guy to find a house for his family just as it will be hard for the person who wrote a letter the the editor a little while ago about being kicked out from her rental.

These refugees may give the country economic gains later but I don't know how we will see the gains if they face the same issues people born here do but worse.