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A man stares at the camera. He is wearing glasses and clothing associated with a Catholic Bishop, including a black robe, red skull cap, and large silver cross around his neck.

Riding the Waves: Romero House

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Romero House

A man stares at the camera. He is wearing glasses and clothing associated with a Catholic Bishop, including a black robe, red skull cap, and large silver cross around his neck.
Archbishop Oscar Romero on a visit to Rome, Italy, 1978. Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.

Archbishop Oscar Romero on a visit to Rome, Italy, 1978. Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.

A bright yellow building has a bright yellow awning with green lettering which reads Romero House, The Centre. Underneath the awning is a clear glass window which is reflecting objects from outside in the street, including trees and someone riding their bike. Inside the building are green plants in pots on the windowsill. On the far right side of the building is a drawing of roots branching out with hearts growing from them.
Romero House Centre Building, Bloor Street, 2022. Courtesy of Romero House

Romero House Centre Building, Bloor Street, 2022. Courtesy of Romero House

A crowd on a rooftop watches as a woman in a dress suit shakes hands with a man in an apron and chef's jacket. Two people are pointing cameras in their direction. In front of them is a table with various fruits cut up and on plates along with glass water bottles.
Governor General Michaëlle Jean at Romero House rooftop garden opening, Wanda Road, 2006. Courtesy of Romero House.

Governor General Michaëlle Jean at Romero House rooftop garden opening, Wanda Road, 2006. Courtesy of Romero House.

A large group on people sit in the middle of a paved road. In the front are several children sitting crossed-legged. There is also an elderly woman sitting on a chair. In the background there is a larger crowd of people also sitting on chairs. Two brick houses can be seen on one side of the street. On both sides of the street are tall, green trees with branches hanging above the crowd. The sun is coming through in the sky in between the two sides of the street.
Romero House 25th Anniversary Street Party, Wanda Road, 2016. Courtesy of Romero House.

Romero House 25th Anniversary Street Party, Wanda Road, 2016. Courtesy of Romero House.

The Salvadoran Connection

The Salvadoran diaspora in Canada is one of the largest from Latin America. Upwards of 33,000 Salvadorans came to Toronto in the 1980s and early 1990s, fleeing the violence of the Salvadoran Civil War (1979-1992). Over 70,000 civilians were killed during the conflict and the atrocities of the war prompted the Canadian government to enact special immigration measures for Salvadorans: dramatically increasing the number of refugees accepted each year and halting most deportations. The relative “safe haven” Canada provided at this time led to a large community of Salvadorans to settle in Canada. A 2016 census noted that over 66,000 Salvadorans call Canada home, the majority of them residing in Toronto. 

Located on Bloor Street West, the Romero House is emblematic of the influence of Latin American communities, particularly Salvadorans, in Toronto. The organization not only provides temporary housing for refugees in four homes in the city’s West End but also offers a central hub on Bloor Street for get-togethers and other community events. 

 

Salvadoran Immigration

As the Salvadoran community grew in Toronto, organizations and support networks sprang up in the city to meet the needs of the new arrivals and to raise awareness for the Salvadoran Civil War in Canada. Organizations such as Toronto’s “La Farabundo Radio Working Group”, which formed in 1984, raised funds to support community radio in El Salvador. Several women-focused groups also emerged during this time, including a Toronto branch of the Association of Salvadoran Women (ADEMUSA).

Many Salvadorans participated in the city’s emergent Latin American community hubs, such as the Trojan Horse Cafe on Danforth Avenue, where Latin American musical group Compańeros often performed during the 1980s.

Mary Jo Leddy

Refugee rights activist Mary Jo Leddy opened Romero House in 1991, naming the organization after Bishop Oscar Romero (1917-1980) of El Salvador. During the early years of the Salvadoran Civil War (1979-1992), Romero publicly criticized the Salvadoran government for their widespread human rights violations and mistreatment of the country’s poor. Romero was assassinated in 1980, leading to further escalation of violence in El Salvador.

Today, Oscar Romero is a national hero in El Salvador: his image adorns numerous public buildings and his name is often used as a synonym for social justice.

 

Romero House Today

Today, Romero House is still continuing the spirit of Oscar Romero, as well as the efforts in the past that brought Central American refugees to Canada. During the COVID-19 pandemic, due to Toronto’s overwhelmed shelter system, refugees arriving in Toronto often had nowhere to stay while they began the immigration process. Through their various programs, Romero House was able to provide temporary housing for nearly 100 refugees.

Romero House also provides support to refugees through English lessons, food donations, and legal support. On Wanda Street, the location of one its four homes, the organization holds an annual block party, bringing residents of the neighbourhood together with past and current generations of refugees that have passed through the organization’s doors.

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