COSTI: A History in Progress

A History in Progress

Meeting the needs of a diverse society since 1952, COSTI Immigrant Services is a community-based multicultural agency providing employment, educational, settlement and social services to all immigrant communities, new Canadians and individuals in need of assistance.

COSTI strives to be a leader in community service by using a client focused, proactive, and innovative approach in planning, developing and delivering services. Our programs ensure that regardless of language or cultural barriers, people who arrive in Canada are able to use their existing skills, learn new ones, and participate actively in all aspects of Canadian life.

Operating from 18 locations in Toronto, the Region of Peel and York Region, COSTI provides services in more than 60 languages. Last year, over 39,000 individuals received assistance.

Services and programs include:

Specialized employment services for internationally trained individuals, as well as information and referral to appropriate services, employment assessment and counselling, work placement, job search training and job development for adults and youth.
English language (ESL and LINC), skills training and Enhanced Language Training (ELT) programs.
Settlement services including orientation, information, counselling and cultural interpretation for recently-arrived immigrants.
Post-settlement support for settled immigrants who continue to require social and government services.
Housing and settlement supports for Government-Assisted Refugees, Refugee Claimants and Privately-Sponsored Refugees.
Family counselling and mental health services.
Housing support for families facing eviction, or those marginally housed.
Help for immigrant women to overcome barriers in their lives and to access opportunities.
Services specific to the needs of seniors to help them lead a satisfying and dignified life.
Translation and interpretation services

COSTI makes every effort to ensure that individuals from every corner of the world are provided with equal access to our services. Services are provided in the following languages: Albanian, American Sign Language, Amharic, Arabic, Armenian, Bengali, Bosnian, Bulgarian, Burmese, Cantonese, Creole, Croatian, Czech, Dari, English, Farsi, Filipino, Finnish, French, Ga, German, Gikuyu, Greek, Gujurati, Hausa, Hebrew, Hindi, Hungarian, Ibo, Italian, Korean, Kurdish, Lao, Latvian, Macedonian, Mandarin, Oromo, Persian, Pilipino, Polish, Portuguese, Punjabi, Pashto, Romanian, Russian, Serbian, Slovak, Somali, Spanish, Swahili, Tagalog, Tamil, Thai, Tigre. Tigrinya, Turkish, Twi, Ukrainian, Urdu, Vietnamese, and Yiddish, and Yoruba.

To learn more about COSTI, and our programs and services, view our Annual Reports.