Newcomer Access to Information and Services in Scarborough - Needs Assessment Pilot Project (2020)

What is this research about?

This report examines how recent newcomers living in Scarborough learn about and use free community and settlement services, and why many do not access them.It aims to identify information and service accessibility, challenges, and gaps for newcomers who have lived in Canada less than five years and have used only one or no settlement services.The stated objective is “to consult recent immigrants to identify information and service accessibilities, challenges in accessing services and gaps in services.”

What do you need to know?

The research responds to a concern from local service providers that many government‑funded newcomer programs (language classes, information sessions, etc.) are underused despite extensive outreach. Federal and provincial governments fund not‑for‑profit agencies to support settlement, but many newcomers either have not heard of these services or are not using them, prompting this needs‑assessment pilot in Scarborough.The project focuses specifically on newcomers with very limited service use, and deliberately recruited a diverse sample by age, gender, country of origin, and status (PR, refugee, claimant, international student, work permit), which makes the findings particularly relevant for “harder‑to‑reach” groups.

What did the researchers find?

A large proportion of participants were very recent arrivals: about 80% had been in Canada for two years or less, and half had lived in Scarborough less than one year. Thirteen percent had not heard of any listed services, and 19% had not used any; overall, about 21% had used no services and 16% had used only one, while only about 23% had used two or more. Language training, employment services and income support were the best‑known and most used services, while legal services, pre‑arrival services, recreation/support groups and social groups were least known and least used.

When comparing service knowledge versus use, health and settlement services were the most used relative to awareness, whereas recreation and education programs were used the least among those who knew about them. Newcomers in Canada for two years or less actually accessed several services (health, settlement, language, housing, legal, income support) at higher rates than those living in Canada longer than two years. For example, around 80% of recent newcomers who had heard about health and settlement services used them, compared with lower percentages among those in Canada over two years.

Themes and outlier findings

Lack of information emerged as a dominant barrier: among respondents who had used only one or no services, 56% said they “didn’t know about the services available for new immigrants,” which represents about 23% of all respondents. Among those aware of services, other key reasons for not using them included believing they were “not eligible” (18%—notably, 85% of these had been in Canada less than two years, suggesting misinformation), work‑time conflicts (15%), not speaking English or French (13%), child‑care responsibilities (10%), staff not speaking their language (10%), and relying on online information or family/friends.

Friends and family were the primary information source: nearly half heard about services from friends, followed by online search (23%), with smaller shares citing settlement agencies, schools, airport information packages and neighbours. When asked what services they wanted closer to home, employment services were the top demand (31%), followed by sports/recreation (23%), and then, at equal levels (15%), socializing groups, mental health services, language training and education programs; 8% wanted nearby child care, citizenship classes, free health services for international students and help applying for government benefits.

An interesting pattern was that recent newcomers (≤2 years) used some key services more than those who had been in Canada longer, challenging assumptions that longer stay automatically increases service use. Another notable observation was that many women, especially those interviewed at EarlyON centres, had started language programs but discontinued after having their first child and were unable to return because of household and child‑care responsibilities and travel barriers. The report also notes that respondents had “no knowledge” of online LINC and online employment services such as webinars and resume support, even though they expressed strong interest in online options.

How can you use this research?

For service providers and LIPs

Organizations can use these findings to redesign outreach and service delivery so that information reaches newcomers earlier and through trusted channels such as friends, family networks and online platforms. The report suggests bringing services “closer to home,” expanding online and evening/weekend options, providing TTC fare assistance, improving the clarity and detail of service information, and ensuring staff can speak key community languages and are perceived as friendly and understanding. Service providers are also encouraged to explore more effective outreach methods, particularly targeting newcomers who have been in Canada less than two years and women with caregiving responsibilities.

For policymakers and funders

Funders can use the evidence on underused services and key barriers (time, language, child care, transportation, information gaps) to support flexible, community‑based and digital delivery models rather than only centre‑based, weekday programming. The strong interest in employment services, recreation, mental health supports, social groups, and child care near home points to investment priorities for neighbourhood‑level hubs in Scarborough.

For researchers and academics

The authors explicitly state that service provider organizations “must research further” to identify more effective outreach strategies because many newcomers lack access to information about settlement programs. Future research could build on this pilot by using larger, more representative samples, translated surveys, and qualitative interviews to explore why longer‑term newcomers may use some services less and how gender, caregiving and legal status shape access.

What did the researchers do?

The Access to Current and Relevant Information Action Group of the Toronto East Quadrant LIP designed a structured survey tool to enable quantitative analysis, including correlations. The tool was reviewed and simplified in collaboration with Partnership Council members and adult educators, then field‑tested with six international and newcomer students at Centennial College to check clarity and timing.Non‑probability sampling was used; 120 surveys were completed (29 online, 91 in person) between November 2019 and mid‑January 2020 at malls, libraries, EarlyON centres and community colleges across Scarborough.

Respondents were newcomers to Scarborough who arrived in Canada within the last five years, with an emphasis on those who had accessed only one or no settlement services.The sample was diverse: most were aged 18–40 (about 23% between 18–40 and 37% specifically 18–30), 65% identified as female, and respondents came mainly from South Asia (45%) and East Asia (35%), with smaller numbers from the Middle East, Africa, the Americas and Europe. Twenty‑six languages were represented; while 45% said they could speak English, only 8% spoke English at home, where Mandarin, Tamil and Hindi were most common.