Housing
“The successful integration of immigrants and refugees into a new society is based on their attainment of several basic needs, one of the most important of which is affordable, suitable and adequate housing” (Teixeria & Halliday, 2010:1).
The majority of immigrants and refugees settle in Canada's largest urban areas, with 60% settling in Toronto, Vancouver, and Montreal (AMSSA, 2016). Given increasing housing prices in these cities, affordability remains the biggest barrier to housing for most immigrants and refugees.
In Canada, a household is considered to have affordable housing if it spends less than 30% of its total income on shelter costs.
In 2018:
31% of recent immigrants lived in households that spent more than 30% of their total household income on shelter.
Only 18% of the total population spent that amount.
Recent immigrants and refugees are half as likely as non-immigrants to obtain home ownership.
However, those from Europe and Asia are up to twice as likely to own homes as those from Africa or Central and South America. (AMSSA, 2016; CMHC, 2014)
Refugees and refugee claimants are at the highest risk of experiencing hidden homelessness, primarily in the inner suburbs (AMSSA, 2016; Murdie & Logan, 2011).
Hidden homelessness
describes populations who live temporarily with others, in a car or in a shelter without guarantee of continued residency or immediate prospects for assessing permanent housing. For every person who is living in absolute poverty, it is estimated that there are three people living in hidden homelessness (Tabibi & Baker, 2017).
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In one Vancouver study, nearly 60% of refugees reported having to stay with family or friends or in non-residential locations because they could not afford the formal housing market (Francis & Hiebert, 2014).
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In addition, 50% of refugee claimants living in Montreal report moving two or more times in their first four years in Canada, compared to about 28% of immigrants and 23% of sponsored refugees (Rose & Charette, 2011).
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Refugee claimants are particularly vulnerable until their claims are accepted and they receive permanent residency (Murdie & Logan, 2011).
Research in Canada's largest gateway cities suggests that new immigrants and refugees are often at a disadvantage in the housing rental and ownership market. Affordable and adequate housing options can be limited due to biases and discriminatory practices that can limit where new immigrants are offered options to live. In turn, this can lead to the creation and continuation of segregated areas where racialized and ethnic minorities tend to live (Teixeria & Drolet, 2016).
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Certain visible minority groups are also more likely to experience precarious housing upon arrival in Canada (Murdie, 2010). In a study conducted in Toronto, Vancouver and Montreal, more than 20% of participants reported discrimination as a barrier to obtaining adequate housing (Hiebert, 2011).
The risk factors for experiencing inadequate housing among immigrants and refugees include:
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Initial settlement location
Many individuals settle in marginalized areas with poor housing conditions because of a lack of affordable housing in areas where recent immigrants and refugees tend to live.
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Health status
Immigrants and refugees tend to experience declining physical and mental health after arrival in Canada, which may result in limited housing options.
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Social support
Certain groups of immigrants and refugees with limited social support may experience homelessness. Those with large networks may share accommodations as a coping strategy, resulting in hidden homelessness.
(Newbold, 2010)