Syrian refugee families are moving from Toronto to Hamilton

As Hamilton scrambles to house and support 988 Syrian refugees,an additional 150who originallyarrived in Toronto havemoved to the cityin search of cheaper housing.

The Toronto arrivals are an unexpected wrinkle in the city's significant resettlement effort, already stressed because the 988 designated to arrivehere is double the number originally anticipated.

There are many unanswered questions about how or if the secondary migration is being managed or coordinated.

The additional refugees settling in Hamiltonappear to bearriving outside of the organized channels for refugee settlement in the city. They are not being co-ordinated with Wesley Urban Ministries, the Hamilton agency responsible for overseeing the government sponsored refugee settlement effort here.

Iknow of at least five to 10 other families who have comethere fromCOSTIin Toronto.- ChelseyLichtman, Toronto refeugee support volunteer.

As well, themigrantsare not yet connected to the local public health efforts rushing to provide everything from immunization to dental care.

And with nearly 400 of the original988 still in Hamilton hotels awaiting housing, the new Toronto arrivalswill likely add more strain to the search for housing.

• Read More:Hamilton health officials rush to immunize Syrian refugees
• Read More:988 Syrian refugees have arrived in Hamilton - housing still a top need

Wesley, which doesn't manage the cases, told CBC they are aware thefamilies are there. It's been talking to COSTI Immigrant Services, the agency that manages government-assisted refugee cases in Toronto, to find out more about them,said executive directorDaljitGarry.

Who is taking responsibility?

It's not clear if Wesley will take responsibility for the additional caseload,whether there will be additional funding for the agency if it does,or whether theyremain the responsibility of COSTI. It's also not clear if COSTI is encouraging the moves. The agency has not responded to CBC requests for an interview.

The Toronto familiescome here in search ofaffordable housing, saidInesRios, executive director of the Immigrant WorkingCentre (IWC). They're also drawn to Hamilton's affordable living conditions, and ease of navigation.

"I'm happy because I think Hamilton needs to grow,"saidRios, whose agency has helped about a dozen of thefamilies who have moved here from Toronto.

"But it creates a bit of a crisis if we are not prepared."

It's a stretch on all fronts.- Laurel Cooke, Hamilton Family Health Team, on there being a larger than anticipatednumber of families

No one has used the word "crisis" when it comes to plans to welcome Syrian refugee families. But agencies admit that their resources are stretched.

Public Health, for example, has pulled staff off less urgent projects to set upimmunization clinics in hotel conference rooms.

Housing is an issue too. As of this month, only 400 of the 988 arriving refugees had secured housing, so hundreds are living in hotels for a month or more.

"The turn around for housing can happen in two weeks," Garrytold CBC Hamilton this month. But because the number increased so quickly and drastically, there have been longdelays.

Wesley, too, is scrambling to accommodate the surprise jump in families arriving. It's been training staff on the fly and hustling to find temporary and permanent housing.

"It's been an overwhelming task, history in the making," Garry said. "We've not seen this type of influx since theKosovarsettlement."

The Hamilton Family Health Team describes similar challenges. From common colds to dental needs, health care providers are servingtwice the number of people expected, said Laurel Cooke, manager of the nursing and complex care teams.

'Testing our ability to work together'

"It's a stretch on all fronts," said Cooke. "It's a stretch on public health. I have nursing teams in hotels every day. We're not funded for that.

"On the plus side, it really is testing our ability to work together across the community."

It's less clear where the families arriving from Toronto called "secondary migrants" fit into the mix. Many come tothe IWC, whichRiossays has enough workers to manage the caseload for now.

It's been challenging, but it's nothing that's insurmountable.- Mayor Fred Eisenberger

Chelsey Lichtman, a Toronto realtor, helped a family resettle from Toronto to Hamilton. Lichtman says the family ofnine is happy to be here, but stuck in bureaucratic limbo.

They're notCOSTIclients anymore, she said.But Wesley isn't taking their cases either.

Found a home in the North End

The family isliving in a semi-detached three-bedroom rental home in the North End, Lichtman said. That sort of housing that would cost more than $2,000 in Toronto. They were happy to find it.

"Luckily, we were among the first to do this," she said. "Iknow of at least five to 10 other families who have comethere fromCOSTIin Toronto."

The issue is a possible future subjectfor Mayor Fred Eisenberger'snew refugeeadvisory committee. There's no central place where information flows right now, he said. That's the committee's goal.

Refugee resources have been stretched in general, Eisenberger said. But Hamilton will manage.

"It's been challenging, but it's nothing that's insurmountable."