Struggles to find affordable housing and work force some Ukrainian refugees to leave Waterloo region

A lack of affordable housing and difficulties finding work has forced some Ukrainian refugees to rethink whether or not they can stay inWaterloo region and in some cases, families have leftthe area.

That was the case for 27-year-old Alina Baryshnik, who came to Canadain December 2022. Her husband joined her one month later.

In a video interview from Kyiv, Baryshniktold CBC News she thoughtshe and her husband would be able to settle relatively quickly when they first tried to live inBrampton.

"I though because my husband has good English, that he would find a good job very fast, but at first he couldn't find any," she said.

She and her husband worked in the medical fieldin Ukraine and her husband was hoping to get work in a similar field,but was not able to, Baryshnik said. She said she couldn't work at the time because she had just given birth.

Baryshnick said they were also struggling with the high cost of rentand it got to a point where they wouldn't be able to pay it.

It was at that point Baryshniksaid they needed tolook for other options and moved to Waterloo region in the spring of 2023after learning theWaterloo Region Grassroots Response to the Ukrainian Crisis group helpsUkrainian refugees find temporary housing and work.

Baryshniksaid the group helped them get temporary housing for three months in the regionand her husband was able to find work, butas the time to stay at the guest house was almost up, her husband lost his job.

"I was frustrated and scared," she said. "We had a small baby, I didn't have a job and it was hard for my husband to find something."

Baryshniksaid she left Waterloo region in September 2023 to deal with afamily emergency in Ukraine. A month after she arrived, her husband was still struggling to find work in the regionand they decided it would be better for him to join her back in Ukraine.

Rent in Waterloo region higher than Calgary

Emmanuel Baffoe and his family went through a similar situation. He, his wife and babywere in Mississauga for three weeks before movingto St. Jacobs in the summer of 2023.

The family is now living in Calgary.

"We said, 'OK that's a good beginning for us,' and after doing some research aboutWaterloo and Kitchener, I realized it was a place where I could get a good job," he told CBC News.

Baffoe got a job in construction, but struggled to find housing his familycould afford.Many places were asking for $2,000 a month, which was the majority of his monthly income at the time.

"Any [rentals] were asking for ridiculous requirements. I had to pay six months upfront, provide a guarantor or I had to have six months of continuous employment and I did not meet all these requirements," he said.

"I went to see 20 different apartments. None of them gave me the opportunity to rent."

In Calgary, Baffoe said he has been able to find work and housing he can afford.

"What is $2,000 in Waterloo is $1,300 here in Calgary," he said.

Lack of Canadian experience

Stephanie Goertz is thelead organizer and founder of Waterloo Region Grassroots Response to the Ukrainian Crisis. Shetold CBCNews they're seeing more Ukrainiansleave the region because many don't havegovernment support for housing and it's up to them to find accommodations and work.

"Waterloo region is extremely expensive for anyone and there is a housing shortage," she said.

"That's why we have rented outfacilities and properties and created our own temporary housing solutions for people who would otherwise be homeless."

The group helps run theformer Jakobstettel County Inn guest house in St.Jacobs and has connections with other guest houses in Brunner, Hillside, Palmerston and Listowel.

She said the group is currently struggling with finding more host homes for Ukrainians. At the beginning of the war. many people opened up their homes, she said. But now, Goertz says, the offers of spacehavealmost completely stopped.

The groupalso helps Ukrainians find work, but without Canadian work experience, Goertz said trying to find employment can be a struggle.

"It's extremely difficult for them when they don't have Canadian credentials, work experience in Canada and they probably don't have the level of English that jobs [require]," she said.

Housing, employment a challenge for other refugees

Finding work and housing they can affordis a strugglethat goes beyond Ukrainian refugees. It's also impactingthedozens of refugee claimants coming to Waterloo region every month,saidLucia Harrison, CEO of the K-W Multicultural Centre.

There is not enough low-income housing available in the region she said. For refugees who struggle with English, the employment availableto them is not enough to cover the cost of theaverage rent, Harrison added.

The broader community who is in need ofhousing, as well as international students, is also adding pressure to a shortage of low income hosing in the region.

"We have a problem for people who have lived here for a long timewho are in low-income, we have a problem for new people arriving," Harrison said."The issue really is, how do we expedite low-cost housing in our community"