10:00am to 11:00am Eastern Time

Good, affordable housing is a critical first step to successful refugee reception, settlement, and integration. In today’s urban migration context, that means cities are under increasing pressure to provide affordable and dignified housing options. Getting housing right also promotes urban resilience in times of shock or crisis.

In the city of Cleveland, welcoming refugees may also be the solution to the problem of vacant homes in a sagging rust-belt economy. Danielle Drake of US Together will discuss how Cleveland is re-thinking its social housing model for refugees as part of a larger strategy to re-vitalize local neighbourhoods and improve living conditions for all residents.

Fifteen years ago, the city of Münster rejected typical temporary, camp-like refugee housing models and embraced a humanitarian strategy which improves living standards, while helping normailize the settlement experience for everyone, turning strangers into neighbours. Today, that foresight is helping cities like Münster accommodate an unprecedented wave of Syrian refugees to Germany. Jochen Köhnke joins the conversation to share challenges and successes from Münster’s refugee housing model.

Register for Breaking Ground

Speakers:

Danielle Drake, Community Relations Manager, US Together, Cleveland (United States)
Jochen Köhnke, Councillor for Migration and Intercultural Affairs, City of Münster (Germany)

Technical Requirements:

No cost to participate. You will need a computer with internet access and speakers. Pre-test System Requirements. Adobe Connect requires the Flash Player plugin, download version 11.9 or above to run. Unable to attend? Register now and receive an email notification when archived presentations are online. Questions? Contact gdx at ryerson.ca.