The Housing Circumstances Of Recently Arrived Refugees

146 Pages·2008·2.29 MB·English

The Housing Circumstances
Of Recently Arrived Refugees:
The Winnipeg Experience

Tom Carter
Canada Research Chair in Urban Change and Adaptation
University of Winnipeg

Chesya Polevychok
Anita Friesen
Research Associates
University of Winnipeg

John Osborne
Research Assistant
University of Winnipeg

July 2008

Prairie Metropolis Centre
2-060 RTF Building
University of Alberta
Edmonton, AB T6G 2E1
Tel: [phone]
Email: [email protected]
Table of Contents

Acknowledgements...........................................................................................................................i
Executive Summary...........................................................................................................................ii
1.0 Introduction.................................................................................................................................1
1.1 Study Objectives.......................................................................................................................1
2.0 Methodology...............................................................................................................................2
3.0 Refugee Housing: A Literature Review......................................................................................5
3.1 Introduction...............................................................................................................................5
3.2 The Refugee Population in Canada and Manitoba: Brief Characteristics........................6
3.3 Housing Affordability,Adequacy and Suitability.................................................................13
3.4 Barriers to Housing Access.....................................................................................................14
3.5 The Relationship Between Newcomer Tenants and Their Landlords................................16
3.6 Summary: The Role of Housing in Settlement Experiences of Refugees..........................17
4.0 Refugee Housing Focus Group Discussions............................................................................18
4.1 “The River of Life”....................................................................................................................18
4.2 Barriers and Challenges: The Rapids In The River................................................................18
4.3 The Good Things That Happened: The Quiet, Peaceful Paddle Along The River...........22
4.4 Achieving One’s Ultimate Objectives: Reaching The Lake...............................................24
4.5 Summary..................................................................................................................................25
5.0 Housing Market Analysis..........................................................................................................26
5.1 Introduction.............................................................................................................................26
5.2 Apartment Vacancy Rates in Winnipeg..............................................................................26
5.2.1 Vacancy Rates by Housing Zone....................................................................................27
5.2.2 Vacancies by Zone and Bedroom Type........................................................................28
5.2.3 Vacancy Rates by Rent Range, Bedroom Type and Year of Construction.............28
5.3 Average Rents by Zone and Bedroom Type.......................................................................30
5.4 Rental Inventory Changes: Low Starts and Stock Losses...................................................31
5.5 Home Ownership Costs Increase..........................................................................................33
5.6 Additional Demand Influences on Rental Housing Markets..............................................34
5.7 Summary..................................................................................................................................34
6.0 Household Characteristics: Year One Interviews..................................................................35
6.1 Introduction.............................................................................................................................35
6.2 Status and Country of Origin.................................................................................................35
6.3 Household Structure...............................................................................................................36
6.4 Age and Gender....................................................................................................................38
6.5 Employment Characteristics.................................................................................................39
6.6 Household Income.................................................................................................................40
6.6.1 Source of Income..............................................................................................................40
6.6.2 Average and Median Incomes.......................................................................................41
6.6.3 Poverty Levels.....................................................................................................................43
6.7 Household Expenses...............................................................................................................44
6.7.1 Shelter Expenses.................................................................................................................44
6.7.2 Other Expenses...................................................................................................................45
6.8 Coping with Tight Finances....................................................................................................46
6.9 Settlement Supports................................................................................................................47
6.9.1 Informal Social Supports...................................................................................................47
6.9.2 Formal Settlement Supports.............................................................................................49
6.10 Summary................................................................................................................................50
7.0 The Housing Experience of Refugees in Winnipeg: Year One..............................................52
7.1 Housing Type...........................................................................................................................52
7.2 Housing Mobility......................................................................................................................52
7.3 Experience with Finding Housing..........................................................................................54
7.4 Housing Affordability, Adequacy and Suitability................................................................57
7.4.1 Housing Affordability.........................................................................................................57
7.4.2 Housing Suitability..............................................................................................................58
7.4.3 Housing Condition.............................................................................................................59
7.5 Housing Safety.........................................................................................................................60
7.6 Housing Accessibility and Health Problems.........................................................................62
7.7 Experience with Landlords/Caretakers................................................................................63
7.8 Awareness of Tenant/Landlord Rights and Responsibilities...............................................64
7.9 The Desire to Become Homeowners....................................................................................66
7.10 Overall Housing Satisfaction................................................................................................66
7.11 Public Housing vs. Private Housing......................................................................................67
7.12 Neighbourhood Satisfaction...............................................................................................71
7.12.1 Neighbourhood Perceptions.........................................................................................71
7.12.2 Important Qualities of Neighbourhood........................................................................71
7.12.3 Neighbourhood Safety...................................................................................................73
7.12.4 The Desire to Move to Better Neighbourhood............................................................75
7.12.5 The Importance of Living in a Good Neighbourhood...............................................75
7.13 Transportation Issues.............................................................................................................76
7.14 Summary................................................................................................................................76
8.0 The Housing Experience of Refugees in Winnipeg: One Year After.....................................79
8.1 Introduction.............................................................................................................................79
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8.2 Household Characteristics.....................................................................................................79
8.2.1 Household Types.................................................................................................................79
8.2.2 Household Size...................................................................................................................80
8.3 Housing Characteristics..........................................................................................................81
8.3.1 Dwelling Types.....................................................................................................................81
8.3.2 Housing Tenure...................................................................................................................82
8.4 Residential Mobility.................................................................................................................82
8.4.1 Household Mobility............................................................................................................82
8.4.2 Reasons for Moving...........................................................................................................84
8.5 Experiences with Finding Housing.........................................................................................85
8.5.1 Ways Refugees Look for Housing....................................................................................85
8.5.2 Difficulties Finding Housing...............................................................................................86
8.6 Household Employment, Income and Financial Circumstances.....................................87
8.6.1 Employment Characteristics............................................................................................87
8.6.2 Income................................................................................................................................89
8.6.3 Poverty Levels.....................................................................................................................92
8.6.4 Household Budget.............................................................................................................93
8.6.5 Meeting Expenses Each Month.......................................................................................95
8.6.6 Access to Loans or Credit................................................................................................96
8.7 Housing Affordability, Adequacy and Suitability................................................................96
8.7.1 Shelter Costs.......................................................................................................................96
8.7.2 Housing Affordability.........................................................................................................97
8.7.3 Housing Suitability...............................................................................................................98
8.7.4 Housing Condition...........................................................................................................100
8.8 Other Housing Characteristics.............................................................................................100
8.8.1 Building Safety..................................................................................................................100
8.8.2 Elements of Housing Design...........................................................................................102
8.8.3 Current Place vs. First Place: Levels of Satisfaction....................................................104
8.8.4 Overall Happiness with Place........................................................................................104
8.9 Private vs. Public Housing.....................................................................................................106
8.10 Neighbourhood Characteristics.......................................................................................107
8.10.1 Neighbourhood Safety.................................................................................................107
8.10.2 Satisfaction with Neighbourhood...............................................................................108
8.10.3 Desire to Move to a New Neighbourhood................................................................109
8.10.4 Transportation and Access to Services......................................................................109
8.11 Tenant/Landlord Relationships..........................................................................................112
8.11.1 Relationships with the Landlord...................................................................................112
8.11.2 Knowledge of Tenant/Landlord Rights and Responsibilities...................................113
8.12 Social Support Networks....................................................................................................113
8.13 The Average Study Household: A Year Later..................................................................116
9.0 Conclusions.............................................................................................................................118
List of References...........................................................................................................................126
Appendix A....................................................................................................................................130
List of Acronyms............................................................................................................................130
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Appendix B.....................................................................................................................................131
Map 7.1: Geographic Distribution of Year One Study Households........................................131
Map 7.2: Household Perception of Safety of Winnipeg Neighbourhoods...........................131
Map 7.3: Household Perception of Safety of the Inner-city Neighbourhoods.....................132
Map 7.4: Distribution of Private and Public Housing Units.......................................................132
Map 8.1: Geographic Distribution of Year Two Study Households........................................133
Map 8.2: Mobility from Time of Year One Interview to Year Two Interview..........................133

List of Tables

Table 3.1: Refugees in Canada by Province 1997-2006..................................................................7
Table 3.2: Classes of Refugees, Manitoba 1998-2006......................................................................7
Table 3.3: Top Ten countries of Birth and Top Ten Countries of Last Permanent Residence of
Refugees to Canada 2001........................................................................................9
Table 3.4: Refugees and Canadian Population by Age Category, Canada 2005...................10
Table 3.5: Barriers to Accessing Housing, Characteristics..............................................................16
Table 5.1: Winnipeg CMA Vacancy Rates by Rental Market Survey Zone.................................27
Table 5.2: Winnipeg Vacancy Rates by Rent Range, 2006 and 2007.........................................29
Table 5.3a: 2006 Vacancy Rates and Average Rents by Age of Housing Stock in Winnipeg.29
Table 5.3b: 2007 Vacancy Rates and Average Rents by Age of Housing Stock in Winnipeg.29
Table 5.4: Percentage Change of Average Rent in Winnipeg, 2006 and 2007.........................31
Table 5.5: Winnipeg Housing Starts and Completions...................................................................32
Table 5.6: Winnipeg Housing Market Demand Factors Since 2001..............................................33
Table 6.1: Refugees by Source Area................................................................................................35
Table 6.2: Household Structure.........................................................................................................37
Table 6.3: Household Size..................................................................................................................38
Table 6.4: Age Distribution.................................................................................................................38
Table 6.5: Average Monthly Gross Income by Household Type...................................................42
Table 6.6: Average and Median Annual Household Income.......................................................42
Table 6.7: Incidence of Low Income by Household Size...............................................................43
Table 6.8: Incidence of Low Income for Economic Families and Unattached Individuals.......43
Table 6.9: Average Rents by Unit Size..............................................................................................44
Table 6.10: Household Income and Expenses................................................................................45
Table 7.1: Housing Affordability........................................................................................................58
Table 7.2: Private/Public Housing and Tenant Characteristics.....................................................68
Table 7.3: Satisfaction with Private/Public Housing Characteristics.............................................70
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Table 8.1: Household Structure.........................................................................................................80
Table 8.2: Household Size..................................................................................................................81
Table 8.3: Housing Type: Year One vs. Year Two............................................................................81
Table 8.4: Household Mobility Since Year One Interview..............................................................83
Table 8.5: Mobility by Area................................................................................................................83
Table 8.6: Length of Tenure...............................................................................................................84
Table 8.7: Duration of Tenure at Current Place..............................................................................84
Table 8.8: Sources of Information on Housing in Year Two............................................................86
Table 8.9: Annual Household Income: Year One vs. Year Two....................................................89
Table 8.10: Average Gross Monthly Income by Household Type: Year One vs. Year Two.......90
Table 8.11: Income from Government Transfers: Year One vs. Year Two....................................91
Table 8.12: Income of Wage-Earners and Non-Wage-Earners by Source..................................92
Table 8.13: Incidence of Low Income by Household Size: Year One vs. Year Two....................93
Table 8.14: Incidence of Low Income for Economic Families and Unattached Individuals.....93
Table 8.15: Household Budget: Year One vs. Year Two.................................................................94
Table 8.16: Owners’ Payments Year Two.........................................................................................96
Table 8.17: Rent payments: Year One vs. Year Two.......................................................................97
Table 8.18: Rent Payments by Number of Bedrooms: Year One vs. Year Two...........................97
Table 8.19: Housing Affordability: Year One vs. Year Two.............................................................98
Table 8.20: Number of Bedrooms: Year One vs. Year Two............................................................99
Table 8.21: Satisfaction with Elements of Housing........................................................................103
Table 8.22: Private vs. Public Housing: Year One vs. Year Two...................................................107
Table 8.23: Satisfaction with the Neighbourhood: Year One vs. Year Two...............................108
Table 8.24: Transportation Used Most Often: Year One vs. Year Two........................................112

List of Graphs

Graph 3.1: Refugees by Source Area, Canada 1997 – 2006(%)..............................................8

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Acknowledgements
This study was made possible with funding provided by the Metropolis Project (Prairie
Centre) and Human Resources Development Canada.
A special note of thanks goes to the participants of the project who kindly agreed to be
interviewed. We would like to thank staff from different settlement organizations for their
support and assistance with this study. We also would like to thank the research assistants
and interpreters for providing help with the collection of the data and the preparation of this
report.

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Executive Summary

Housing is a central component of the settlement experience of refugees. A positive housing
situation can facilitate many aspects of integration. Unaffordable, crowded, unsafe housing,
however, can cause disruptions in the entire settlement process.

A two-year study of recently arrived refugees in the city of Winnipeg illustrates the
significant housing challenges they face. In the first year 75 households who had been in the
city a year or less were interviewed. Fifty-five of these households were re-interviewed a
year later. The research findings highlight the housing and neighbourhood challenges the
households faced in the first year and the changes in their circumstances that had occurred by
the time interviews were conducted in the second year.

The households in the study face high levels of poverty. In the first year the average annual
income of the refugee households was $22,374: approximately one third of the average
household income of $63,025 in the city. Ninety-two percent of households fell below the
poverty line as defined by Statistics Canada’s Low Income Cut-Off (based on 2006 rates).
With an average rent of $566 per month, the average household spent 34 percent of their
gross income (before tax) on shelter. Fifty-one percent of households spent thirty percent or
more, while twelve percent spent fifty percent or more. Spending thirty percent or more of
pre-tax income on shelter is considered excessive, leaving too little money for other basic
necessities.

The refugee households in the first year of this study were much larger than Winnipeg
households in general – 3.6 compared to 2.4 persons per household – and therefore require
larger housing units. The Winnipeg rental market provides few units with three or more
bedrooms, particularly at prices refugees can afford. Hence it is not surprising that 47 percent
of refugee households in this study lived in housing that, according to National Occupancy
Standards, was overcrowded.

In addition to affordability and crowding problems, households faced other housing related
challenges. They were highly mobile as they searched for better living circumstances. In the
first year 93 percent had lived in more than one place, 25 percent in more than three. The
average length of tenure was just twelve weeks – not a situation conducive to integration.
One quarter did not feel safe in their neighbourhood and a similar proportion felt their
housing was unsafe. The same proportion felt their home contributed to health problems.
Although only a quarter felt landlords and caretakers were unhelpful, nineteen percent did
not know their rights and responsibilities as tenants and 40 percent had no idea of their
landlords’ rights and responsibilities. Some also felt they faced discrimination in the housing
market which made their search for adequate, affordable housing even more difficult. Close
to sixty percent did not plan to live long in their residence at the time. The same proportion
wanted to move to another neighbourhood. In terms of housing circumstances, the refugee
households in this study could not be considered a settled group of people at the time of the
first interview.

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A year later the interviewees’ economic circumstances had improved considerably, as had
their housing situation. Average household income had increased by 31 percent to $29,357.
The proportion living below the poverty line declined to 73 percent. Improved employment
circumstances contributed to this change as 66 percent of those interviewed were employed
in year two compared to 42 percent a year earlier. Higher incomes led to improved housing
affordability as the average shelter-to-income ratio fell from 34 percent to 25 percent: only
22 percent were paying thirty percent or more of their income on housing costs and two
percent were paying more than fifty percent.

In the second year of interviewing, only 36 percent of the households did not meet National
Occupancy Standards, although there was no appreciable decline in household size. Other
improvements included a growing satisfaction with dwelling size and design, building and
unit safety, greater satisfaction with landlords and caretakers and an improved knowledge of
both tenant and landlord responsibilities. There was also less concern regarding
discrimination and a growing number of households felt they were better equipped to deal
with discrimination they faced.

A noticeable change that was contrary to these positive trends was a growing dissatisfaction
with the condition of their units and with the length of time for repairs to be made. At the
first interview, 25 percent of the interviewees said they felt their home was in poor condition
but a year later this ratio had increased to 42 percent. Concern about the timeliness of repairs
increased from 26 percent of households to 42 percent in the second year. This may reflect an
improved understanding of the standards they can expect and perhaps less reluctance to
express their concerns, rather than an actual decline in housing conditions or timeliness of
repairs.

Separate focus group research and the individual interviews highlight that one of the long-
term personal objectives is home ownership. A positive finding in this work is that the
number of owners among the interviewees increased from one to six in the two years of the
study.

The characteristics of refugee households are not always a good match with the housing
designed to accommodate Canadian-born households. Market circumstances also make
finding affordable housing a challenge. In the rental inventory, there are few units of three or
more bedrooms that many of the larger refugee households require, and virtually none are
vacant. Vacancy rates overall are low and choice is limited. The vacancies that do exist are in
older rental stock in poor condition or newer stock that is well beyond the price range
affordable to most refugee households. In addition, funding for the development of new
social housing for low-income households has not been available in any significant amount
for several years and waiting times for the existing inventory are long. These housing factors,
combined with the other disadvantages refugees face, create a difficult set of circumstances
for those trying to access adequate, affordable housing.

Those who are able to access social housing have some distinct housing advantages. At the
time of the first interviews, two-thirds of the refugee households lived in private rental
accommodation, and one-third lived in public housing. When year two interviews were
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conducted, the proportion in public housing had increased to 46 percent. Overall, public
housing residents felt more positive about their housing circumstances than did the private
housing renters: they had fewer suitability problems, were more satisfied with management,
the safety of their home, the floor plan/design and the condition. However, they were less
positive about their neighbourhoods and more were concerned about safety and security:
perhaps because most public housing is located in the inner city. The biggest advantage for
public housing residents was affordability. With rents set at 27 percent of gross income, even
with responsibility for some utilities, few paid more than thirty percent of their income for
shelter. On average, public housing residents paid $150 less per month than did the private
renters. When compared to private housing, public housing, it seems, offers advantages that
would better facilitate the resettlement process.

The refugees in this study reported considerable difficulty in finding housing. In the first
year, it was noted that sponsors and immigrant agencies provided considerable assistance.
But by the second year, however, housing information sources included a broader social
network of family and friends and also real estate and property management agencies,
government agencies and more of their own efforts through websites, newspapers and street
searches by walking and driving around. This shift in the second year illustrates growing
knowledge of the city and the housing market and an expanding social network. It also
reflects the absence of immigrant services’ assistance with finding housing beyond the initial
search, after which newcomers are on their own. Refugees in this study struggled with their
lack of familiarity with the market, neighbourhood characteristics, tenant rights and
responsibilities and the absence of a place to go to get the reliable, comprehensive
information they need to find suitable housing.

By the second year interviews, the interviewees had developed better social support networks
with an increased number of friends, neighbours and co-workers who could help in solving
their problems with housing, tenant-landlord issues, emotional health issues and a range of
other settlement and integration challenges. The development of a strong social support
network is key to successful settlement and integration.

Although home is the central hub of people’s lives, the neighbourhood is a geographical
extension of home, reaching into the public sphere. Neighbourhood is a place that offers
regular opportunities to interact with others. Newcomers’ perceptions of their
neighbourhoods and their neighbours, influence their sense of belonging and the extent to
which they feel settled.

The majority of the refugees in this study lived in Winnipeg’s inner city – an area with the
most affordable accommodation, but characterized by neighbourhood decline. At the time of
the first interviews, 78 percent of the respondents were inner city residents. This proportion
fell to 64 percent in year two. Safety and security are issues of concern for many inner city
residents, refugees included. One quarter of the study’s refugee households did not feel safe
in their neighbourhood the first year, although this number fell to seventeen percent in the
second year. Most households liked their neighbourhoods and those in the inner city
particularly liked the convenient proximity to services, public transportation, plus friends and
family. However, sixty to seventy percent in both years said they would like to live in a
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