safe start:HELPING YOU LAND BEFORE YOU TAKE OFF

Introduction

Safe Start is a verified housing ecosystem designed to support newcomers to Canada , in navigating their first housing experience with more safety, clarity, and dignity. I conducted this project independently , grounded it in direct interviews, lived experience, and extensive prototyping.

Rather than improving existing platforms like Kijiji or Facebook Marketplace, I reimagined the experience entirely. Safe Start centers the newcomer — not the listing. And Naomi’s real story, as someone I personally interviewed, shaped every part of this design.

💡Design Challenge

Newcomers arrive in Canada full of hope — and are immediately faced with risk, confusion, and loneliness when trying to find housing:

Platforms are unsafe, unmoderated, or discriminatory.
Landlords ghost or reject based on newcomer status.
Emotional burnout sets in before they even start their jobs.

Design Challenge: [Re]imagine the experience of searching for safe, trustworthy housing as a newcomer in Canada.

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🔎 Process Overview

Methodology

This project followed a human-centered, iterative design process. I:

Conducted three interviews: a single woman (Naomi) and two Nigerian couples (Tunde & Amaka, Chuka & Linda), all new to Canada and on work permits.
Created detailed empathy maps to surface emotional, behavioral, and safety-based needs.
Extracted themes: lack of trust, fear of scams, employer neglect, emotional trade-offs.
Prototyped both the digital platform and a reimagined user journey using AI visuals and storytelling.
Tested the storyboard prototype with newcomers and international students.

Naomi’s experience became the central narrative — but the insights reflect a larger pattern of systemic exclusion and emotional strain.

🧑🏽‍🦱 Meet Naomi

Naomi arrived from Ghana on a closed work permit. She had no support system.

Her first rental turned out to be a room shared with unknown men. She left after two nights and lost her $1,000 deposit.

The anxiety and fear pushed her to rely on a woman from church for shelter — a solution built more on luck than protection.

She represents hundreds of people navigating survival-mode housing while trying to stay safe.

🧠 Key Insights (Across All Interviews)

Emotional safety matters more than price or amenities.
Newcomers trust community networks more than formal platforms.
Employers play a legal role in arrival — but provide zero housing guidance.
Women want verified, identity-safe housing with filters that reflect who they are.

🧐 Then I Asked: "How Might We...?"

These questions became the backbone of Safe Start’s features:

How might we help newcomers verify the safety and legitimacy of listings before committing financially or physically?
How might we design a housing platform that prioritizes emotional safety, cultural trust, and peer support?
How might we reduce Naomi’s dependence on informal networks by offering safer, verified sources early on?
How might we create a digital buddy system that lets newcomers learn from someone who’s already been through it?
How might we integrate employer onboarding with housing safety education?

✨ What I Designed: The Safe Start Ecosystem

🛡️ Verified Listings

Every landlord goes through ID checks. Profiles feature community-driven trust badges (e.g., Women-Recommended, Kid-Friendly).

🧭 Smart Filters + Language Toggles

Filters for Women-Only, Cultural Match, Newcomer Approved, and more. Available in English, French, Yoruba, Arabic, and Mandarin.

🧑🏽‍🤝‍🧑🏾 Housing Buddy Program

People like Aunty Sade — long-settled newcomers — volunteer to guide, chat, or co-view listings with users.

📋 Arrival Checklist + Onboarding

Shared through employers or immigration bodies. Helps newcomers know what to expect, avoid scams, and understand rights.

🤲🏽 Pay-It-Forward System

After finding stable housing, users can opt to become buddies. It creates a chain of care.

Naomi's Current Scenario

Naomi's Reimagined Experience

Before vs After: Naomi’s Journey

What Users Said

“I’ve used Kijiji, I’ve used Facebook — this is the first time I saw something for someone like me.”
“The filters are amazing. I didn’t even realize I needed 'Women-Only' or 'Cultural Match' until I saw them.”
“The Housing Buddy — that’s the part I’d cry over. That’s empathy in tech.”

🌍 Who This Helps

Safe Start is designed with inclusivity in mind — supporting not just one, but many overlapping communities:

Single women on closed work permits who are often overlooked in rental negotiations and face elevated safety risks.
Newcomer couples who are denied leases for lacking Canadian credit history despite employment.
Families with children, particularly those struggling to find units near schools or in safe neighborhoods.
LGBTQ+ newcomers looking for affirming, respectful environments where they won’t have to mask or explain.
International students or workers unfamiliar with the Canadian housing market, who need step-by-step guidance and culturally relevant support.
Landlords committed to equity, transparency, and supporting the newcomer community.
Settlement organizations and employers, who can use Safe Start as an onboarding extension to improve retention and integration outcomes.

By centering diverse needs and identities, Safe Start moves beyond generic listings to offer a more responsive and empathetic housing ecosystem.

🔄 What Changed

Based on testing and feedback, I refined the Safe Start experience to emphasize trust, visual storytelling, and community guidance:

Filters were expanded beyond price/location to include identity-based needs like "Women-Only" and "Cultural Match."
Buddy recruitment was grounded in community partnerships, not random sign-ups — reflecting feedback from testers and stakeholders.
Employer onboarding integration was added to reduce housing stress before arrival.
Visual walk-throughs and trust badges were prioritized after users described how much they rely on emotional cues when choosing listings.

These changes made the design not only more accessible but more emotionally resonant — empowering users to make informed choices without fear.

How the Housing Buddy System Now Works

💡Why It Matters

For many newcomers, the first few weeks in Canada define how safe and welcomed they feel — not just in housing, but in life. Unsafe rentals, scams, and emotional isolation lead to preventable harm, mental stress, and lost opportunities.

Safe Start intervenes at that crucial transition point. It says:

You are not alone.
You deserve to feel safe — from your first rental, not your fifth.
Your story, culture, and identity belong here.

This matters because trauma-informed, identity-conscious design isn’t a luxury — it’s a necessity for creating equitable cities and systems.

Conclusion

Safe Start reimagines housing not as a transaction, but as a bridge to safety, belonging, and dignity. Grounded in real stories like Naomi’s, this platform is proof that even the most vulnerable moments can be redesigned with care.

Newcomers deserve more than survival. They deserve a soft landing.