Category: Uncategorized

An Interview with Diana Gallego and Tsering Lhamo

By Leny Rose Simbre and Maria Jose Rangel

June 11, 2025

FCJ Refugee Centre is a Toronto-based organization that has been at the forefront of advocating for the rights and dignity of refugees and precarious migrants. It offers a wide range of programs including legal support, transitional housing, access to healthcare and education, mental health services, youth leadership initiatives, and training for frontline workers. We  spoke with Diana Gallego and Tsering Lhamo, co-executive directors of FCJ, about the Centre’s mission and its rooted approach to migrant justice. In this interview, we explored FCJ’s transformative work, shaped by care activism, relational solidarity, and a fierce commitment to systemic change. What follows is a story of leadership from lived experience, a sanctuary sustained by community mobilization, and a vision of a Toronto where no one is left behind.

The FCJ Refugee Centre  at 208 Oakwood Ave, Toronto, a welcoming space offering vital support and advocacy for refugees and precarious migrants in the city (Photo Credits to Jovana Blagovcanin of FCJ)

A Legacy of Dignity and Action

“FCJ was born from the struggles of newcomers,” Diana and Tsering told us. “In 1991, Loly Rico and Francisco Rico-Martínez opened the doors for women, children, and families who had nowhere else to go. That mission continues today.” 

Francisco, a pacifist revolutionary and human rights lawyer from El Salvador, and Loly, also from El Salvador, a physiotherapist with a background in social justice, arrived in Canada as refugees in 1990, fleeing civil war. Drawing from their own lived experiences and supported by the Sisters of Faithful Companions Of Jesus, a support of Religion Charity, they founded the FCJ Refugee Centre in 1991. For decades, they provided shelter, advocacy, and community to displaced people. After Francisco’s passing in 2021, Loly continued to lead the Centre, guided by the same commitment to dignity and protection that shaped its beginnings.

Tsering mentioned that the values of dignity, justice, solidarity, and compassion are woven through every program:  from housing support and legal aid to education access and mental health services, FCJ meets migrants where they are. The Centre offers not only essential services but also a sense of community and advocacy—core pillars of a broader justice movement that continues to uplift the most vulnerable.

Leading With Lived Experience

Both Diana and Tsering bring personal migration journeys to their leadership positions at FCJ. These experiences have shaped not only their empathy but also their strategic and political approach to advancing migrant justice, building inclusive support systems, and challenging structural barriers faced by refugees, precarious migrants, and non-status individuals in Canada.

Diana, a trained lawyer and former refugee, explains that her leadership is deeply informed by her personal journey to Canada: “I understand what it means to be invisible. My work is about making people visible again.” Diana described how her own journey, from arriving in Canada with her family to volunteering at FCJ, has led her to embrace migrant rights as a lifelong commitment.

Tsering adds: “As a Tibetan refugee, I know how trauma, displacement, and survival intersect. This work isn’t abstract—it’s personal.” She reflected on the fear and hope that come with starting over: “When you’ve lived in limbo yourself, you understand what people need, not just legally, but emotionally.”

Their leadership model is grounded in closeness and shared experience rather than traditional hierarchies, reflecting a deep understanding of the power that comes from within the community.

Care Activism and Relational Solidarity

One of the most compelling frameworks that FCJ applies to their service provision is care activism, a model that goes beyond service delivery to center human dignity, emotional support, and political empowerment. “We see people not just as clients, but as whole beings,” Tsering explains. “Their struggles, strengths, and stories guide how we respond.”

This approach builds trust and long-term relationships between clients such as refugees and migrant workers that access FCJ’s services. Whether it’s organizing community events, responding to family crises, or standing in protest, FCJ sees activism as care, and care as activism. This philosophy is reflected in their mutual aid practices, where building meaningful relationships means offering consistent support, listening deeply, and standing with people through every step of their journey.

Toronto as a “Sanctuary City”: Promise vs. Practice

Though Toronto is officially designated as a “Sanctuary City” in 2013, Diana and Tsering highlighted the gaps between policy and lived experience of their clients. Many migrants with precarious status and refugees still face barriers to accessing basic services like healthcare, housing, and education.

Being labeled a “Sanctuary City” is not enough; true safety requires real, equitable and meaningful access, not just symbolic policy and promises. While Toronto has adopted the AccessTO policy, many migrants still hesitate to access services due to ongoing fears of surveillance, data sharing, and institutional exclusion. FCJ Refugee Centre works daily to bridge these gaps, offering direct, practical support to precarious migrants and refugees, while simultaneously advocating for systemic and lasting change at both the municipal and federal levels. 

Intersectionality in Action

FCJ’s work intentionally responds to the layered vulnerabilities faced by racialized women, LGBTQ+ migrants, and non-status youth. Rather than offering one-size-fits-all solutions, the Centre adapts its services to meet the evolving needs of each group, offering safe spaces, tailored legal advice, and psychosocial or mental support that recognizes the intersections of identity and status.
 

Their legal clinic has expanded to support women facing gender-based violence, while their youth-led networks advocate for undocumented students navigating school systems without ID.  “No one fits in one box,” Tsering notes. “We work holistically because our communities are navigating overlapping struggles.”

During our interview, Tsering and Diana also recounted that during the COVID-19 pandemic, FCJ became a lifeline for migrants who were excluded from federal support programs, especially those working in essential roles such as hospital cleaners, caregivers, and grocery store workers.

 “They kept the city running but were treated as disposable,” Diana recalls. “So, we pushed the City of Toronto to provide income support for undocumented workers. And they did.”
 

This was not the first time that FCJ had successfully advocated for policy change. When the Harper government in 2012 cancelled the Interim Federal Health Program, FCJ established its own health clinic to serve refugees and undocumented individuals—a move that not only filled a policy gap in Toronto but affirmed the right to health as a basic human right for all, regardless of status.

A Shared Vision with Soli*City

Diana and Tsering see the Soli*City project of Toronto Metropolitan University, led by Prof. Harald Bauder, as a valuable and impactful partner in their mission. The collaboration has offered FCJ tools to enhance their programs and a comparative lens to learn from other global contexts.

They hope projects like Soli*City will push the broader public and policymakers to reimagine migration not as a crisis, but as a catalyst for community resilience and transformation. “It helps us show the city and policymakers what works,” says Tsering, who is part of the project’s steering committee. “It gives us the language and data to advocate for a city that welcomes everyone, not just on paper, but in practice,” she added.

A Call to Action

When asked what message they would most want non-migrants to hear, both directors were clear: migrant justice demands more than good intentions. It requires structural change, policy courage, and above all, a willingness to keep doors open.

“Toronto can be truly inclusive if we stop leaving people behind, especially those with precarious or no status. Solidarity means showing up, speaking up, and staying committed,” says Tsering.

 “It’s a city where people don’t need an ID to access food banks or shelters,” Diana says. “A city where non-status youth can go to school, and where the contributions of migrants are recognized, not criminalized.”

Tsering also emphasizes learning from Indigenous communities:

“We are all settlers here. Migrants deserve to feel safe. Sanctuary is not a favour—it’s a responsibility.”

Here’s how you can support FCJ’s work:

• Speak up for education rights by raising awareness on campus about the barriers undocumented children face in accessing schooling.
• Volunteer with FCJ to support racialized women and LGBTQ+ migrants through peer-led initiatives.
• Help organize fundraisers or donation drives to help expand FCJ’s legal clinic and youth-led programs.
• Join FCJ’s advocacy campaigns and events to learn, network, and build solidarity with migrant youth, students and community organizers.

 To learn more, visit www.fcjrefugeecentre.org, follow FCJ on social media, or drop by their Centre to connect. Justice starts with listening, organizing, and most of all, keeping the doors open.

Leny Simbre and Maria Jose Rangel Gutierrez in conversation with Diana Gallego and Tsering Lhamo, Co-Executive Directors of FCJ Refugee Centre, during an interview for the Soli*City Blog post. 

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Leny Rose Simbre is a community-based researcher and advocate with expertise in migrant justice, particularly in the areas of migrant care work, social movements, international students, temporary labour migration, and participatory, socially engaged research. She holds a BA Honours in Human Rights and Equity Studies from York University and previously worked as a Research Project Coordinator at the York Centre for Asian Research. She is currently pursuing her MA in Immigration and Settlement Studies at Toronto Metropolitan University. Leny is a research assistant with the Soli*City project, a member of the 2024–2025 Bridging Divides Student Cohort, and a regular contributor to The Philippine Reporter, a Toronto-based print and online media outlet.

Maria Jose Rangel Gutierrez is a student of International Relations at the Guadalajara University with a focus on Latin American foreign policy, global governance, and migration. She has actively participated in academic diplomacy and recently took part in the 2025 ECOSOC Youth Forum at the United Nations Headquarters in New York. Maria Jose has collaborated on interdisciplinary research projects related to urban development, climate, and human mobility. She is currently supporting faculty-led investigations aimed at improving institutional approaches to academic motivation in research. Passionate about civic engagement, she contributes to projects at the intersection of civil society, government, and academia.

Author: Vida Carranza Capote

In 2013, the City of Toronto adopted the Access TO policy, positioning itself as a “Sanctuary City”, the first in Canada to make such a commitment. This policy was meant to ensure that all Toronto residents, regardless of immigration status, could access municipal services without fear of being asked about their status or having their information shared with federal immigration enforcement. The vision was bold and hopeful: a city where no one would be denied care, shelter, or support due to where they were born or how they arrived.

More than a decade later, there remains a gap between what the policy promises and how it plays out in everyday life. Due to funding restrictions, inconsistent application of the policy, and various service delivery barriers, the process of accessing services for immigrants with precarious status is often filled with confusion, fear, and exclusion.  

The Soli*City team, with the support and guidance of our community partners, has been working to develop the Toronto Soli*darity Access Guide in direct response to the realities faced by precarious status immigrants in the city. We focused on including low-barrier services that offer services regardless of immigration status, do not require an Ontario Health Insurance Plan (OHIP) card or identification, and are grounded in community care. The guide includes service categories like health, mental health, legal aid, housing support, food access, gender-based violence support, youth services, and more. The digital version of the Soli*darity Access Guide includes an interactive map that allows users to easily locate nearby services by category. Designed to be mobile-friendly and intuitive, the map helps precarious status residents find safe, accessible support in their area.

Creating this guide was a months-long process involving direct outreach. We connected with staff across dozens of organizations, calling, emailing, and following up to verify intake practices and clarify often ambiguous policies. Along the way, we witnessed what solidarity can look like in action. Staff took time to engage with our questions and shared candid insights into the barriers faced by undocumented clients. Ultimately, we compiled a list of over 25 organizations across Toronto that are committed to providing services to all residents, regardless of immigration status.

We are especially grateful to the FCJ Refugee Centre and the MRCC, whose early guidance and insights helped shape our project. Their longstanding expertise in supporting undocumented communities played a foundational role in developing this guide.

The Toronto Soli*darity Access Guide is available in both print and digital formats to meet diverse accessibility needs. The digital version includes an interactive map for easy navigation, while the print version will be distributed through partnering solidarity organizations across Toronto to share directly with the communities they support.

We hope this guide will become a trusted tool for anyone navigating or supporting others through Toronto’s often confusing service landscape. It will offer clear and verified information on services and help frontline workers locate resources to support clients within their organizations. 

In a moment when sanctuary status is often symbolic and threatened by political shifts, community-led tools like this are essential. They remind us that protection doesn’t come from policy alone; it comes from networks of care, solidarity, and collective action.

Sanctuary is about creating systems where people feel safe, valued, and supported, regardless of the documents they carry. It means making sure undocumented people aren’t just surviving but can live, work, rest, and belong.

We invite you to read the guide, share it with your networks, use it in your organization, and help us make it better. Because a real sanctuary is not a one-time policy decision, it’s an ongoing practice and commitment.

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Leny Rose Simbre is a community-based researcher and advocate specializing in migrant justice, care work, and temporary labour migration. She is a graduate student in Immigration and Settlement Studies at Toronto Metropolitan University, a research assistant with the Soli*City partnership, and a member of the 2024–2025 Bridging Divides Student Cohort. Leny’s dedicated contributions were instrumental in shaping the Toronto Soli*Darity Access Guide.

Vida Carranza Capote is a graduate student in Immigration and Settlement Studies at Toronto Metropolitan University, a research assistant with the SoliCity Partnership project, and a member of the 2024–2025 Bridging Divides Student Cohort. With a background in sociology and emerging experience in community-based approaches, her work focuses on migrant health, precarious status, and equitable service access. As part of the SoliCity research team, Vida collaborated closely with community partners to develop the Toronto Soli*Darity Access Guide.

Autora: Vida Carranza Capote, estudiante de maestria en Estudios de Inmigración y Asentamiento en Toronto Metropolitan University y Asistente de Investigación en Soli*City

Las ciudades santuario han sido ampliamente debatidas en América del Norte y Europa, pero ¿cómo abordan las ciudades latinoamericanas la inclusión de migrantes y la solidaridad urbana? El Hub de América Latina de Soli* City ha estado llevando a cabo un extenso trabajo de campo en Chile, Argentina y otros países para comprender mejor cómo los gobiernos locales y las organizaciones implementan prácticas de santuario urbano, solidaridad y hospitalidad para acoger a migrantes y refugiados en situación de vulnerabilidad.

Exploramos cómo su investigación se alinea con temas de identidad, pertenencia e inmigración, y qué lecciones pueden extraerse para construir políticas urbanas más inclusivas. En esta entrevista, nos sumergimos en la investigación en curso del Hub con la Dra. Carolina Stefoni, co-investigadora de la asociación Soli* City y miembro del Hub de América Latina.

P: ¿Podrías brindarnos una visión general de los proyectos actuales en los que está trabajando el Hub Latinoamericano?

R: En función del proyecto, lo que hemos estado haciendo es trabajo de campo en Santiago de Chile, en distintas comunas del norte y en la zona central. Hay varios factores involucrados en temas de convivencia. En Chile no existe el concepto de ciudades santuario, pero ha habido algunas iniciativas interesantes y valiosas a nivel de gobiernos locales.

Hemos estado realizando entrevistas cualitativas, que han sido muy enriquecedoras. Entrevistamos a gobiernos locales, organizaciones sociales y representantes del Ministerio del Interior, quienes gestionan programas sociales para la población migrante a nivel territorial. En total, recopilamos más de 40 entrevistas, todas ya transcritas y actualmente en proceso de codificación, lo cual esperamos completar en marzo.

 Hemos estado realizando entrevistas cualitativas, que han sido muy enriquecedoras. Entrevistamos a gobiernos locales, organizaciones sociales y representantes del Ministerio del Interior, quienes gestionan programas sociales para la población migrante a nivel territorial. En total, recopilamos más de 40 entrevistas

-Dr. Stefoni

Paralelamente, estamos colaborando con un equipo de FLACSO Argentina. Ha sido muy interesante porque estamos trabajando en conjunto y aplicando la misma pauta de entrevistas en Buenos Aires, Córdoba y algunas en Mendoza. En Argentina, también recopilamos entrevistas con los mismos actores: gobiernos locales, organizaciones sociales e internacionales. Ya fueron transcritas y estamos codificándolas con el mismo sistema, lo que nos permitirá hacer una buena comparación entre ambos países.

Además, hemos establecido contacto con investigadores de República Dominicana para iniciar el trabajo allí en 2025. En Brasil, también nos vinculamos con un equipo que investiga ciudades santuario, y un estudiante de doctorado viajará a Santiago para colaborar con nosotros. La idea es que, a través de estos contactos, podamos llevar a cabo entrevistas en Brasil.

P: ¿Cómo se alinea la investigación del Hub America Latina con temas como identidad, pertenencia e inmigración?

R: Estamos trabajando con población migrante, pero hasta ahora no hemos realizado entrevistas directas con personas migrantes. Más bien, nos hemos centrado en entrevistar a organizaciones y gobiernos locales que trabajan con esta población.

Aún no tenemos resultados concretos, por lo que no puedo responder con certeza cómo se abordan los temas identitarios a nivel local. Sin embargo, una de nuestras preguntas clave es si las administraciones locales incorporan o no una perspectiva intercultural en su gobernanza.

Mi impresión es que, en muchos municipios, existen oficinas específicas para la atención a migrantes. Estas oficinas buscan responder a sus demandas, pero también hay un esfuerzo por transversalizar la situación migratoria en los distintos servicios municipales. Aquí es donde veo una tensión entre dos enfoques: uno que atiende la situación migratoria de forma específica y otro que busca incorporar a los migrantes dentro de los programas generales dirigidos a toda la población.

P: ¿Están estudiando grupos particulares dentro de las ciudades santuario o su enfoque es más general?

R: Nuestro enfoque varía según los territorios específicos. En la Región Metropolitana de Chile, seleccionamos comunas como Recoleta, que históricamente ha recibido a muchos migrantes. Allí, analizamos los programas implementados por el gobierno local para esta población.

También estudiamos Iquique, una comuna clave en el norte del país, para examinar qué acciones se implementan allí. Entonces, aunque mantenemos una mirada general sobre la política migratoria, nuestro trabajo baja al nivel de los gobiernos locales para entender qué están haciendo concretamente en estos territorios.

P: ¿Cómo contribuye la investigación del Hub America Latina a la misión más amplia de Soli*City en la construcción de ciudades santuario y políticas urbanas?

R: Creo que aún estamos en una fase de diagnóstico para entender hacia dónde va la situación en América Latina. En Chile, por ejemplo, hemos identificado una falta de comprensión sobre el concepto de ciudades solidarias y sobre cómo incorporar la migración a nivel urbano.

Si bien en Argentina y Brasil la situación es un poco diferente, en general estamos lejos de contar con políticas estructuradas para la inclusión de migrantes en las ciudades latinoamericanas. Por eso, nuestro trabajo será interesante para analizar qué problemas han sido resueltos y cuáles no, y para explorar qué estrategias podrían implementarse en distintos contextos latinoamericanos, considerando que estos son muy diferentes a los de Europa, Norteamérica o Canadá.

Estamos lejos de contar con políticas estructuradas para la inclusión de migrantes en las ciudades latinoamericanas. Por eso, nuestro trabajo será interesante para analizar qué problemas han sido resueltos y cuáles no, y para explorar qué estrategias podrían implementarse en distintos contextos latinoamericanos

-Dr. Stefoni

P: ¿En qué aspectos cree que el trabajo que están realizando podría influir en soluciones comunitarias y en la política de ciudades santuario?

R: Las ciudades latinoamericanas tienen particularidades muy distintas a las del Norte Global. Un factor clave es la informalidad: tanto en la economía como en las soluciones habitacionales. Más que proponer soluciones inmediatas, nuestro objetivo es problematizar los enfoques actuales. La realidad es que, cuando hay economías altamente informales y precariedad laboral y habitacional, pensar en ciudades santuario requiere estrategias diferentes.

Por otro lado, hay experiencias solidarias que merecen más atención. No necesariamente relacionadas con la población migrante, sino con la propia población local que vive en condiciones de precariedad. Por ejemplo, en Chile y otras ciudades latinoamericanas, existen iniciativas como las ollas comunes, que resurgieron con fuerza durante la pandemia. La gente se organiza para cocinar colectivamente, cada quien aporta lo que puede y se alimenta a muchas personas.

También hay redes de cuidado infantil y el trabajo de organizaciones religiosas, que históricamente han apoyado a comunidades vulnerables. Estas iniciativas han estado dirigidas a la población local en situación de pobreza, pero la pregunta clave es: ¿cómo se incorpora la diversidad migrante en estas redes de solidaridad?

Estas iniciativas han estado dirigidas a la población local en situación de pobreza, pero la pregunta clave es: ¿cómo se incorpora la diversidad migrante en estas redes de solidaridad?

-Dr. Stefoni

Lo que me interesa destacar es que ya existen expresiones de solidaridad en América Latina, pero el desafío es cómo integrarlas a contextos cada vez más diversos. Es un tema clave para pensar hacia el futuro.

La investigación en curso del Hub de América Latina está arrojando luz sobre las complejidades de las ciudades santuario en la región, revelando tanto los desafíos como las oportunidades y las soluciones creativas que están surgiendo en el terreno. ¿El siguiente paso? Movilización del conocimiento: llevar estos hallazgos a las manos de formuladores de políticas, líderes comunitarios y defensores que puedan transformarlos en acción.

Con planes de expandir su trabajo a República Dominicana y Brasil, buscan profundizar la conversación sobre solidaridad e integración en diversos contextos urbanos y reflexionar sobre cómo pueden ser las ciudades inclusivas.

Author: Vida Carranza Capote, Immigration and Settlement Studies MA student at Toronto Metropolitan University and Research Assistant with Soli*City

Sanctuary cities have been widely discussed in North America and Europe, but how do Latin American cities approach migrant inclusion and urban solidarity? The Latin American Hub of Soli*City has been conducting extensive fieldwork across Chile, Argentina, and beyond to better understand how local governments and organizations are engaging in urban sanctuary, solidarity, and hospitality practices to accommodate vulnerable migrants and refugees.

We explore how its research aligns with themes of identity, belonging, and immigration, and what lessons can be drawn for building more inclusive urban policies. In this interview, we dive into the Hub’s ongoing research with Dr. Carolina Stefoni, a co-applicant on the Soli*City Partnership and a member of the Latin America hub.

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Q: Could you give us an overview of the current projects the Latin American Hub is working on?

A: We’ve been conducting fieldwork in Santiago de Chile, focusing on different municipalities in the north and central areas. Several factors come into play regarding social coexistence. Chile does not have a formal concept of sanctuary cities, but there have been some interesting and valuable initiatives at the local government level.

We’ve been conducting qualitative interviews, which have been incredibly enriching. We’ve spoken with local governments, social organizations, and representatives from the Ministry of the Interior, who manage social programs for the migrant population at the territorial level. We’ve collected over 40 interviews, all of which have been transcribed and are currently in the coding process, which we hope to complete by March.

We’ve been conducting qualitative interviews, which have been incredibly enriching. We’ve spoken with local governments, social organizations, and representatives from the Ministry of the Interior, who manage social programs for the migrant population at the territorial level. We’ve collected over 40 interviews…

– Dr. Stefoni

At the same time, we’re collaborating with a team from FLACSO Argentina. It’s been a fascinating partnership because we’re working together and using the same interview framework in Buenos Aires, Córdoba, and parts of Mendoza. In Argentina, we also gathered interviews with the same key actors: local governments, social organizations, and international organizations. These have already been transcribed, and we’re coding them using the same system, allowing us to make solid comparisons between the two countries.

Additionally, we’ve established contact with researchers in the Dominican Republic to begin working there in 2025. We plan to start after the summer break. In Brazil, we’ve also connected with a team studying sanctuary cities, and a PhD student will be traveling to Santiago to collaborate with us. The idea is that, through these connections, we can also conduct interviews in Brazil.

Q: How does the Hub’s research align with themes like identity, belonging, and immigration?

A: We’re working with migrant populations, but so far, we haven’t conducted direct interviews with migrants themselves. Instead, we’ve focused on speaking with organizations and local governments that work with these communities.

Since we don’t yet have concrete results, I can’t say for sure how issues of identity are being addressed at the local level. However, one of our key research questions is whether local governments are incorporating an intercultural perspective into their governance.

My impression is that many municipalities have specific offices dedicated to migrant affairs. These offices aim to respond to migrants’ needs, but there’s also an effort to integrate migration-related issues into broader municipal services. This creates a tension between two approaches: one that specifically addresses the needs of migrants and another that seeks to include them in general programs for the entire population.

Q: Are you focusing on specific groups within sanctuary cities, or is your approach more general?

A: Our approach varies depending on the specific territories. In Chile’s Metropolitan Region, we selected municipalities like Recoleta, which has historically received many migrants. There, we analyze the programs implemented by the local government to support this population.

We’re also studying Iquique, a key municipality in the north of the country, to examine what policies and actions are being implemented there. So, while we maintain a broad perspective on migration policies, our work zooms in on local governments to understand what is being done on the ground in these specific territories.

Q: How does the Hub’s research contribute to Soli*City’s broader mission of building sanctuary cities and urban policies?

A: We are still in a diagnostic phase, trying to understand where the situation is heading in Latin America. In Chile, for example, we’ve identified a lack of understanding about the concept of solidarity cities and how to incorporate migration at an urban level.

While Argentina and Brazil have slightly different contexts, overall, Latin American cities are still far from having structured policies for migrant inclusion. That’s why our work will be valuable in identifying what challenges have been addressed, which remain unresolved, and what strategies could be implemented in different Latin American contexts—considering that they are quite different from those in Europe, North America, or Canada.

Latin American cities are still far from having structured policies for migrant inclusion. That’s why our work will be valuable in identifying what challenges have been addressed, which remain unresolved, and what strategies could be implemented in different Latin American contexts…

– Dr. Stefoni

Q: In what ways do you think your work could contribute to community-based solutions and sanctuary city policies?

A: Latin American cities have very different dynamics compared to those in the Global North. A key factor is informality—both in the economy and in housing solutions. Rather than proposing immediate solutions, our goal is to critically examine the current approaches. The reality is that when economies are highly informal, and there’s significant job and housing insecurity, thinking about sanctuary cities requires different strategies.

On the other hand, grassroots solidarity initiatives deserve more attention—not necessarily focused on migrants but on local populations living in precarious conditions. For example, in Chile and other Latin American cities, initiatives like community kitchens became widespread during the pandemic. People come together to cook collectively, each contributing what they can, and many people are fed as a result.

There are also childcare support networks and the work of religious organizations, which have historically assisted vulnerable communities. These initiatives have traditionally targeted low-income local populations, but the key question is: How do we incorporate migrant diversity into these existing networks of solidarity?

How do we incorporate migrant diversity into these existing networks of solidarity?

– Dr. Stefoni

What I want to emphasize is that expressions of solidarity already exist in Latin America. The challenge now is figuring out how to integrate them into increasingly diverse communities. That’s a crucial topic for future discussions.

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The Latin American Hub’s ongoing research is shedding light on the complexities of sanctuary cities in Latin America, uncovering both the challenges, opportunities, and creative solutions happening on the ground. Next up? Knowledge mobilization— Getting these insights into the hands of policymakers, community leaders, and advocates who can turn them into action. With plans to expand their work to the Dominican Republic and Brazil, they aim to deepen the conversation on solidarity and integration in diverse urban contexts and envision what inclusive cities can look like.

Theme: Romero House, sanctuary cities, Toronto, refugees

Authors: Kara Nguyen, Darina Muñoz, Jasper Derhak

As a designated sanctuary city, Toronto is home to many organizations that provide services to refugees and undocumented migrants. However, how many refugees and undocumented migrants are aware of the resources available to them? As a sanctuary city, refugees and undocumented migrants do not need to provide identification to access healthcare and other social services offered by the City of Toronto. However, as a city with one of the highest housing and living costs in Canada, refugees, undocumented migrants, and asylum seekers need the proper resources and assistance to acquire food and shelter. This is where Romero House steps in. Romero House was founded by Mary Jo Leddy in 1991. It provides refugee families with transitional housing, food, settlement, legal and clothing support. We spoke with Marnie Klassen, the volunteer coordinator and settlement worker, about Romero House’s values and services.

Q: Can you tell us about the history of Romero House and its mission? 

A: Mary Jo Leddy founded Romero House in 1991, and we have always been located in the West Bend area. We have multiple houses and apartments within the West Bend area (Dundas West in the Junction Triangle). Our founder, Mary Jo Leddy, is a Christian theologian, poet, and artist. Romero House started by accident. Mary Jo Leddy had some neighbours who had refugees living with them, and they had to go away for a while, so she offered to look after them, as this was what being a good neighbour meant to her. She only meant to move in for a month; from there, she fell in love with working with refugees. Her love of working with refugees led to the creation of Romero House. We started with one house on Keele Street, and refugees would live with Mary Jo and some other staff;, we eventually expanded to buy other homes and hire more staff, but we’ve always remained in the West Bend neighbourhood. We currently have 4 houses, and we’re thinking of possibly expanding shortly. In total, we house 10 refugee families, with 8 live-in staff.

Q: How does Romero House incorporate solidarity practices into its work? 

A: Our solidarity practices come down to the question: “What does it mean to be a good neighbour?” because we’re so rooted in our neighbourhood, what solidarity looks like to us at Romero House is neighbourliness and treating people as we belong to each other. When you live together, or just down the street from one another, and you have dinner together once a month, once a week or even once a day, you can’t treat [refugees] as if they’re ‘other.’ You have to treat them like you’re both human. You both have your humanity in common, even if every other detail about your life is different. I think this leads to a posture of solidarity, through this posture of neighbourliness, where we are so committed to not just treating people with respect, kindness and dignity but also friendship and joy. It’s not just about the practical way we support people but about the relational aspect. I think this is a compelling mode of solidarity.

When refugees arrive in Canada, they often know nobody and have no resources, and they have deep relational needs and wants for connection. I think what makes Romero House unique is that we not only provide settlement support and housing, but we also provide them with that sense of belonging and community in a place unfamiliar to them, with a system with many barriers where people tend to fall through the cracks. We are there to catch them as they fall, provide them with the practical stuff, support and nurture them. This creates a sense of solidarity because we’re treating people as humanely as possible. For example, Second Harvest (a food rescue charity) sends us a delivery every Thursday of food that is still good but may expire soon, supplemented by donations from other businesses and our garden, and that food gets distributed amongst our 10 families and a few of our walk-in family clients as well. Something significant about this that plays into the aspect of the neighbourliness/solidarity practices question is that we staff are welcome to take some of the groceries, which puts us on the same playing field. So that we feel that common humanity more practically instead of just saying, “Oh, we’re both humans.”. We’re being neighbours, both eating the same cucumbers from the delivery or through living together.

I think what makes Romero House unique is that we not only provide settlement support and housing, but we also provide them with that sense of belonging and community in a place unfamiliar to them, with a system with many barriers where people tend to fall through the cracks. We are there to catch them as they fall, provide them with the practical stuff, support and nurture them. This creates a sense of solidarity because we’re treating people as humanely as possible.

Marnie Klassen, Romero House volunteer coordinator and settlement worker

Q: What is the biggest challenge that refugee families face when arriving in Canada, specifically Toronto? How does Romero House help with these challenges? 

A: There are many challenges, but what stood out to me in recent months is, of course, housing. But as someone who only speaks one language with bits of others, language learning is also one of the biggest challenges they face. Many arrive in Canada with no or limited  English. Let’s talk about housing first because that is something that we help with directly at Romero House and is objectively the biggest challenge for refugee claimants, especially in Toronto, where rent is so high, and landlords in this city are also so cruel and unjust. We help with housing at Romero House by providing transitional housing for up to a year; some families move out after a couple of months, so we typically support more than 10 families in a calendar year with housing. We also get walk-ins. Some of the walk-ins we get don’t have a place to sleep for the night, and we don’t provide temporary housing, but we refer them to places that can give them somewhere to stay for a few nights, weeks, or months until they find somewhere longer term. 

That longer-term thing can be Romero House, an affordable rental in the city or a shared home with someone. We also have a community host program, where people who have a spare bedroom or apartment can loan it to us to house refugees instead of renting them out, usually for a few nights or a few months at a time. It is also one of Romero House’s biggest mandates (housing in the medium-term range). We have two full-time staff members who help people find longer-term housing a few months before the 1-year mark ends. 

As for language learning support, it can be challenging to find and get into ESL classes, and the ESL system in Toronto can be confusing to navigate. So what we do here at Romero House to support language learning is help people get onto those lists, and we also find volunteers to be English language conversation partners. The volunteers usually get paired with one of the residents or sometimes with a walk-in client. And they meet for one hour per week and just chat about whatever they’d like. There’s no curriculum, people can have a more structured conversation if they’d like, but typically it’s just a conversation. It’s a way for residents to practice and develop their conversational skills and create a connection/relationship with someone who has been in the country for much longer than they have. Some really click, and others don’t, but seeing the friendships and connections emerging is still amazing.

Q: Can you share some success stories of how Romero House has positively impacted the lives of refugee families? 

A: I wasn’t here for this, so forgive me if I don’t know all the details. A refugee family, consisting of two parents and their young son, came here about two years ago. Their son Jamie (not their real name) has autism, so it created even more challenges in settling in Canada. Not only were they looking for practical support like food, career counselling, and housing, but they also needed extra support around the house and for their son’s disability and respite care. Romero House provided free babysitting and respite care, and we came together as a community to support this struggling family. It was amazing. I’ve gotten to know this family a bit, as former residents, they come in occasionally for extra support, and sometimes they volunteer at Romero House events. 

They’re just the loveliest people. Seeing them thrive as a family here in Canada is amazing because they’re so well-connected as a family unit. It shows the difference between communal and relational support and institutional (government) support. They’re in a housing situation that is safe and affordable, and I even see the dad at the gym sometimes. They’re a very music-oriented family, so they volunteer for events with us, and just seeing them thriving and connected has been inspiring and beautiful. That’s not an isolated story in two ways; it’s not isolated in the sense that Romero House is first and foremost a community, and it’s also not an isolated story in the sense that there are many stories out there like that of people coming through Romero House and finding their feet, and that finding that in the context of relationships.

Q: What future initiatives or plans does Romero House have to expand or improve the services offered to refugee families? 

A: So we’re now exploring some possibilities about expanding our housing capacity. I don’t think I can go into detail about it now. We’ve gotten a lot of green flags and support from other agencies and the city, so that you can keep an eye out for news about that in the coming months. It’s tricky to expand beyond what we have right now. We want to focus on sustainable growth, and we do not want to grow beyond our means. We’re always looking into different funding avenues, the possibility of hiring new staff, as it’s hard to do more without more people, and we’re always looking to see if we can take on new volunteers, but that can become overwhelming for the people supervising the volunteers. For now, though, our primary focus is on expanding our housing capacity.

Q: Toronto is a sanctuary city. Do you think that Toronto is doing enough to accommodate refugees as a designated sanctuary city? 

A: I can share my opinion. To put it plainly, we’re in a housing crisis. The amount of refugees living in Toronto that are unhoused is simply appalling. I think that all levels of government can contribute more to amending that crisis. I’m hesitant to use the word ‘fixing’ because that makes it seem like there is a clear solution; I think there are many solutions that we can consider. I’m supporting a family who has just moved into Romero House, but they’ve been in Canada for nearly a year. They were previously living in a shelter and were feeling unsafe with no support for months. I’m unsure if the shelter was a city-run or privately owned shelter, but they had no settlement support. They didn’t know that they had to find a lawyer; there were so many things they had to do to make a refugee claim, yet they had no support. If you don’t have housing, you can’t have support with anything else. You need a place to live because if you’re not sleeping well, you don’t have the capacity for anything else. I think so much of refugee work comes back to basic housing. Is Toronto doing enough? I think the short answer is no. I think we’re doing some things, it could be worse, I’ll give Toronto that, but I also believe it could be much better. In June, we hosted our annual block party, and Mayor Olivia Chow came out and gave a speech. It was wonderful to hear her express her support for the work of Romero House and the other refugee agencies in the city and for her to say that she wants to do better and increase housing for refugee claimants in the city. So I’m waiting to see what those promises look like in action. For me, that’s really what it comes down to.

Romero House is a Soli*City partner dedicated to providing a community for refugees that ensures they feel safe, thrive, and belong. Romero House has helped hundreds of refugees in the good spirit of neighbours over the years. We thank Marnie Klassen and Romero House for this interview.