Housing conflict coaching

St. Stephen’s Community House partners with the University of Toronto to offer housing conflict coaching to the U of T community.

St. Stephen’s is a unique social service agency that works with individuals in Toronto to identify, prevent and alleviate social and economic inequality. The trained mediators on their team offer U of T students free, confidential guidance on resolving conflicts.

This includes one-on-one confidential advising about interpersonal conflicts and Navigating Conflict Workshops to develop conflict resolution skills.

Service Eligibility
Service Fees
Service Delivery
Housing conflict coaching is delivered through one-on-one confidential advising appointments, run in partnership with professional mediators from St. Stephen’s House.

You will get:
- support to help you manage and prevent issues
- skills to mediate and handle interpersonal conflict
- help building and maintaining positive relationships
- new approaches on how to communicate your needs
Booking & Documentation
Considerations & Exceptions
Preventing conflict

Conflict is usually easily preventable through open and honest communication.

It can be useful to sit down with your roommate(s) before you move in to talk openly and honestly about your lifestyles and concerns. Communicating early on can prevent problems from arising.
- Discuss your family backgrounds, cultures and religious beliefs.
- Determine private and public spaces within the unit.
- Set permissible noise levels for study and social times.
- Address any security issues or concerns.
Some good questions to ask new roommates are:
- Are you willing to share food and/or personal belongings?
- Where will you store your belongings in the unit?
- Will visitors and/or overnight guests be allowed?
- When do you usually wake up and go to sleep?
- Who will be responsible for cleaning what?
Deal with minor issues as soon as possible to prevent them from becoming major conflicts.

Managing conflict

If you are faced with conflict, here are some tips to help find a resolution that works for everybody:
- Remember to communicate openly and honestly.
- Avoid sarcasm and aggression – they can quickly make the situation worse.
- Allow others to talk without interruption.
- Take time to listen. Consider what others are saying, and try to understand the points they’re making.
- Be flexible and understanding, and respect the values and opinions of others.
- To resolve your conflict, try to find a compromise that satisfies everyone.