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in si de ha lto n. co m O ak vi lle B ea ve r | T hu rs da y, F eb ru ar y 10 ,2 02 2 | 6 Dog Guides empower Canadians with disabilities to navigate their world with confidence and independence. Last year's winner took home $50,000! Purchase your tickets before March 3rd, 2022 www.lfcdogguides5050.ca *Disclaimer: 50/50 Raffle tickets can only be purchased by current Ontario residents over 18 years of age. Senior LFCDG staff, Board members and members of both these parties' households are not eligible to participate in the draw. Complete raffle rules are available at www.lfcdogguides5050.ca *Lottery License number: RAF1232261 $1,000 EARLY BIRD PRIZE DRAW February 18th, 2022 GRAND PRIZE 50/50 DRAWMarch 4th, 2022 TICKETS $40 for 200 40 3 $20 for $10 for Available for Dine-in, Take-out, on-line ordering and delivery through Uber and Skip the Dishes 266 Hays Blvd., Oakville • (289) 725-9700 WELCOME BACK!! You've given us an award year after year and we can't ThAnK YOU enough for your support. The following is part two of a three-part series explor- ing experiences for immi- grant families coming to Halton. Next week, we take a look at support services in place for newcomers to the region. Hemav Mahanta, an im- migrant of Indian origin, moved to Canada in 2018 af- ter living in numerous countries like the United States, China and the Unit- ed Kingdom. Based on a friend's rec- ommendation, he first moved to Oakville's Josh- ua's Creek area and now lives in the Maple Grove community. Mahanta had his fair share of challenges when coming to Canada. Adjust- ing to the extreme cold and the Canadian social culture were among them. But the biggest obstacle was establishing a line of credit here and proving that his internationally-earned money was indeed his. This served as an initial road- block to buying a house. "The challenge was that, approving the trail of paper- work to show that the mon- ey was mine for the deposit when I'm seven days into a country was difficult," re- called Mahanta. Securing financing for housing can be a major challenge for many immi- grants, as Murryanna Ba- hadoor's experiences as a real estate agent suggest. "Moving to Oakville as an immigrant, straight out of your country, it's a differ- ent cost and a different kind of money you're bringing into the country," said Ba- hadoor, herself an immi- grant from Trinidad and To- bago. "As opposed to some- body who moved here and they're thinking, 'Oh, I should move to Oakville. Oh no, it's too expensive. It's different. It's not for every- one." Between 2011 and 2016, the last census period, the population of Halton grew by 9.3 -- more than double the provincial average. Roughly 160,000 of the close to 550,000 people in the re- gion are immigrants. One of the first challeng- es typically faced by new- comers is finding adequate housing. "The housing market is now too tough to buy hous- es in Burlington and Oak- ville," said Louis Tsai, a community volunteer who often works with immi- grants. Tsai has observed that "more [immigrants] are ac- tually going to Milton... be- cause Milton's cost of hous- ing is much less than Oak- ville." Tsai has also observed that in the Asian communi- ty, members of the extended family, sometimes two gen- erations, pool together their money to buy a house. "Home prices definitely are a challenge. No doubt about it. But people find dif- ferent ways to overcome this." Kim Jenkinson of the Halton Multicultural Coun- cil said that Halton is usual- ly the place of "second mi- gration." In other words, many im- migrants will settle in cities closer to the airport -- like Mississauga, Brampton or Toronto -- before eventual- ly moving to Halton. "Some people, though, have done their homework before they've gotten here. But you really need to live in a place before you get to know it," she added. Lydia Law, language program manager at the Halton Multicultural Coun- cil Connections, said most immigrants she has worked with say they come to Hal- ton for the safety of the mu- nicipality. "Also some of them may (come) because of their fam- ily or friends. They are al- ready here and they know how good this city or this re- gion is," she added. Among the many re- sources available to all area residents -- including new- comers -- through Halton Region (halton.ca) is Halton Housing Help, which con- nects people with afford- able housing and other sup- ports. STORY BEHIND THE STORY: With many im- migrant families settling in Halton in recent years, we wanted to examine what challenges face new- comers in settling here. PUTTING DOWN ROOTS IN HALTON Like many immigrants moving to Halton in recent years, Hemav Mahanta faced challenges in settling here. Graham Paine/Metroland MANSOOR TANWEER mtanweer@metroland.com NEWS SECURING HOUSING CAN BE A CHALLENGE FOR MANY IMMIGRANT FAMILIES