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Finding a place to call home: The challenge of housing security for immigrants in Alberta

Abstract
This article explores the challenges of housing security for immigrants in Alberta, Canada. It highlights the difficulties that immigrants face in finding affordable and secure housing due to discrimination, language barriers, and lack of knowledge about their rights. The report also discusses the impact of homelessness on individuals and society, including the negative effects on physical and mental health, education, and economic success. The report concludes by calling for increased government support for housing initiatives that prioritize the needs of immigrants and other vulnerable populations. Overall, this report sheds light on an important issue and provides valuable insights into the challenges of finding a place to call home.
Authors: Jim Gurnett Publication Date: 1/1/2010

Publication Type: Journal Article
Notes

Community organizations:

Future research / gaps identified:

  • There is little research on housing issues as a part of the lives of immigrants.
  • Lack of understanding what specific challenges immigrants face in finding affordable and secure housing, as well as the impact of housing insecurity on their overall settlement experience.

  • Dearth of research explaining the long-term consequences of housing insecurity on individuals and society, as well as the potential benefits of providing stable and affordable housing to vulnerable populations.

Integration timeline:

Key populations:

Key recommendations:

  • Canada needs a comprehensive and properly-funded poverty reduction strategy respectful of its human rights obligations to address the critical obstacles to enjoyment of the right to adequate housing.
  • The Federal Government needs to work with the provinces and territories to create a consistent framework of tenant protection and rent regulation laws that meet the standards set in international housing rights law.
  • Specific funding should be directed to groups particularly vulnerable to discrimination including women, Aboriginal people, the elderly, youth, and migrants.
  • The housing continuum concept and a plan to make available various forms of housing including transitional and supportive housing should be nationally adopted.

Open access: No

Key findings:

  • Immigrants in Alberta face significant challenges in finding affordable and secure housing due to discrimination, language barriers, and lack of knowledge about their rights.
  • Homelessness has negative effects on physical and mental health, education, and economic success, particularly for vulnerable populations such as immigrants.
  • Housing security activists maintain that there is no reason Canada cannot ensure homes for all, provided there is a will to do so. The failure to do so is particularly difficult on newcomers eager to establish new lives, and the consequences of such failure will reach far into the future.

Location: Alberta in general


Collections discrimination-and-belonging , housing , physical-and-mental-health , resettlement-integration

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