Since 1999, there has been increasing settlement in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, of large numbers of Roma families from Hungary, seeking refugee status. A number of agencies across health, social welfare services, education, immigration, child welfare, and justice sectors were concerned about the apparent difficulties members of the Roma community were experiencing within these systems and the ability of these systems to provide effective services to the Roma community. The goal of the Roma Project was to identify the needs of the Roma community across health and social service domains and to promote a deeper understanding of Roma people and their culture in addressing those needs of the Roma population. Focus group and key informant interviews were conducted with members of the Roma community (n = 24) and service providers (n = 62) in order to develop recommendations for effective and culturally appropriate services. © 2006 by The Haworth Press, Inc. All rights reserved.

Needs assessment Roma Health and social welfare services

Canada social security Hamilton [Ontario] refugee welfare provision health services assessment method Ontario [Canada] North America