Hospitality Training Action 75
A sector-led initiative to link work, housing, and stability for asylum claimants.
Despite securing steady jobs, many asylum claimants in Toronto remain in shelters due to high rents, landlord barriers, and fragmented services. HTA 75 partnered with Opus Group to tackle this challenge through the HOME initiative.
How do you ensure asylum claimants can access stable housing when they are already working in good jobs - but still living in shelters?
Opus Group partnered with HTA 75 to align employment, housing navigation, and landlord engagement into coordinated pathways - designed with and for asylum claimants.
Pilot-ready solutions that reduce shelter reliance, open landlord doors, and build sustainable housing pathways for working newcomers.
In Toronto, many asylum claimants are doing what’s often described as the “right steps” toward integration - securing steady jobs and contributing to the local economy - yet remain in the shelter system. Even with income from regular employment, they face high rents, restrictive application processes, discrimination, and a lack of coordinated housing support.
Stable housing is not just a marker of successful settlement - it’s a prerequisite for sustaining employment, building community connections, and achieving long-term stability.
Key issues:
The Housing Opportunities for Migrant Equity (HOME) initiative is led by HTA 75 - a hospitality sector labour-management partnership - in collaboration with Opus Group, government, and community stakeholders. Building on HTA 75’s success in creating a sectoral workforce hub that connected thousands of workers to good jobs and training during and after the pandemic, the project now focuses on closing the housing gap for those already employed.
The strategy centres on:
Incentivizing landlords through rent guarantees, insurance, and tenant support.
The project is currently in the design and testing phase, with integrated, pilot-ready solutions taking shape through cross-sector collaboration. These solutions will:
Multi-sector partners are committed to piloting these solutions in 2025.
This project shows how an industry-driven, community-partnered approach can address one of the most persistent gaps in newcomer integration - the inability to convert job success into housing stability. By centering housing in employment pathways, jurisdictions can reduce shelter demand, improve workforce retention, and deliver on integration goals.
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