Affordable housing for immigrants

While immigration is crucial to Canada’s population and economic growth, immigrants arriving in Canada today increasingly face structures of inequality and barriers to full participation in the economy and society. The effects of deepening poverty and the lack of access to decent and affordable housing pose enormous challenges to successful immigrant settlement and integration.

The news doesn’t get better for immigrants as the recent report, “2006 Census: Earnings, Income and Shelter Costs,” shows the gap widens between recent newcomers and Canadian-born workers, and income inequality increases, as low-income immigrants struggle to meet their basic needs.

These telling numbers reveal that “in 1980, recent immigrant men who had some employment income earned 85 cents for each dollar received by Canadian-born men. By 2005, the ratio had dropped to 63cents. The corresponding numbers for recent immigrant women were 85cents and 56cents, respectively.”1 Despite being more highly educated and skilled than earlier immigrants, today’s newcomers are being left behind in terms of employment and earnings.

Income insecurity coupled with the rising cost of rent is one of the main causes of homelessness, in that people are not earning a livable income to pay for basic necessities such as housing. Core housing needs are greatest among recent immigrants spending more than 30 percent of their income on housing and cannot compete in the housing market. According to 2006 census data, “About 28.5% of immigrants lived in households that spent 30% or more of their income on shelter in 2006, up from 25.4% in 2001. This compares with 18.6% of the Canadian-born population, which changed very little from 2001. For immigrants, the median household income is lower and shelter costs higher than that of the Canadian-born population.”2 June 2008 Some of these vulnerable populations live in housing that is overcrowded and in need of repair, and they do not have the means to address it.

The housing affordability crisis for newcomers is furthered by uncontrollable economic growth, which is occurring at a time when there is not enough affordable housing to meet the needs of increased workers. In the case of Alberta’s booming economy, the lack of supply is driving rent up and dramatically decreasing affordability, leaving a significant number of immigrants unable to access decent housing.

Recent immigrants experiencing housing affordability challenges are also more likely to live in poverty and depend on social services. Various systemic barriers, including lack of language skills, cultural knowledge, recognition of foreign credentials and discrimination based on ethnicity, race, accent and religion all contribute to newcomers’ inabilities to earn a living wage and find affordable housing.

The biblical command to do justice calls us to change the structures of injustice and care for those who are vulnerable, experience social exclusion, live in poverty and lack access to basic needs. To make effective change, we must create structural changes and break down the barriers that hinder the well-being of immigrants. We should integrate housing policy with newcomer settlement policy and create targeted policies that will address housing issues faced by immigrants.

A poverty reduction strategy is a way for government to use a multi-dimensional approach to address issues of housing, income insecurity and poverty. The federal government could show responsible leadership and create an integrated housing and poverty reduction strategy that ensures affordable housing, adequate income, and targeted support for immigrants. The government could start showing the political will to fight poverty and homelessness by renewing the three national affordable housing and homelessness programs that are due to end in March 2009.

Public justice calls the government to pay special attention to those who are vulnerable and are at risk of becoming homeless, and to create structures that equitably distribute resources in society. The government should invest in affordable housing and provide the necessary funding and support for immigrant services to help newcomers find and maintain housing.

Shelters and transitional housing are only temporary solutions for immigrant settlement needs; long-term solutions are needed to address the roots causes of housing insecurity and homelessness. A comprehensive national housing strategy with sustained funding, targeted support for vulnerable groups, strategic plans with accountability, measurable targets and timelines are key to ensure long-term solutions to affordable housing.

As the well-being of immigrants and recent newcomers are reflected in their housing situations, we need to work toward a just society in which all Canadians, regardless of income, have access to adequate and affordable housing. Together, we can meet the housing needs of immigrants and ensure the first step towards successful settlement and integration.

1. 1. Statistics Canada, “2006 Census: Earnings, Income, and Shelter Costs,” May 1, 2008
2. 2. Statistics Canada, “Changing Patterns in Canadian Homeownership and Shelter Costs, 2006 Census,”