We already know that refugees are struggling to keep up with monthly costs of renting or payments for mortgages – as many Canadians are, refugees or not. However, it is also crucial to understand the state and operation of the housing market in order to understand how refugees gage and experience the market for themselves. The cities of Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver are famous for being metropolitan centres, accessible to services, and having high immigrant populations. However, these cities also have high homeless populations, which is mainly due to high housing costs and a lack of social, affordable and government housing units.
In 2003, skyrocketing housing and rental prices resulted from a boom in the economy. In turn, a plethora of Canadians began struggling to pay their rent and stay sheltered. In combat of high housing prices, there was a high demand for RGI housing – rent geared-to-income – and still is today. Yet, at the same time as the increase in housing prices, there was a significant reduction in the government’s budget for housing, specifically in Ontario.
The Ontario Non-Profit Housing Association (2016) reported that 171,360 households in Ontario alone are on a wait list for housing help and relief. While the initial waiting lists have been for RGI housing, there has been a more recent demand for simply affordable rental housing units (ONPHA, 2016). However, the issues lie in low production levels, and sometimes a lack of production, of affordable rental housing units. This factor along with population growth and low vacancy rates fuel the increasingly long wait times for these units (ONPHA, 2016).
Wait times for applicants are increasing as fewer units become available each year. The ONPHA (2016) reported that an individual applying for housing in the year 2015 will wait a much longer period of time to receive housing than an individual who received housing in the year 2015 would have waited. As of 2016, the average wait time for RGI housing is 5.2 years, while in the areas of Ontario with very high demand, such as Toronto, waits can be as high as 14 years (ONPHA, 2016).
Out of all groups of Canadians, refugees experience the most struggles with the housing market (Hiebert, 2017). They are usually lacking in the country’s official language(s), have no knowledge of where or how to buy a home, and have no money to do so. In other words, they are likely to be experiencing poverty and homelessness upon their arrival.
Upon recapitulating the information discussed thus far, it is important to note that financial demands, housing prices, and a lack of affordable housing are not the sole contributors to the homelessness of refugees. We must consider the mental, emotional and physical tolls that refugees endure during the first few years upon arrival. The macro level barriers that refugees face are a large part of the homelessness epidemic, but there are many micro level factors that shape and contribute to the experience of homelessness for refugees.
- Lauren Iaccino, Ryerson University
