About the Project
On being sworn in on November 4, 2015, the newly formed Government of Canada expanded Canada’s intake of Syrian refugees by 25,000. Funding was immediately allocated to this intake with a goal date for resettlement of February 2016. By that date, 26,172 Syrian refugees were resettled in Canada, with 47,735 resettled by August 2017 (Government of Canada, 2017).
London, Ontario supported 1,360 Government Assisted Refugees (GARs), and 625 further refugees through Private Sponsorship of Refugees (PSRs) and the Blended Visa Office Referred (BVOR) program. In 2016, a research team (Dr. Abe Oudshoorn, Dr. Sarah Benbow, and Matthew Meyer) was struck to explore their outcomes. In particular, there were concerns about housing outcomes following the 1-year resettlement period of intensive support.
The purpose of this project is to create a grounded theory of long-term housing outcomes, supported by longitudinal data, and centered on the experiences of Syrian newcomers and their families.
This project will answer the following research questions of: 1) What factors facilitate achievement of Syrian refugees desired housing in Canada over time? 2) What factors serve as barriers to this achievement? 3) What programs support this achievement? 4) What policies serve as barriers or facilitators of this achievement? 5) What other structural factors serve as barriers or facilitators to this achievement? These questions will be addressed using a grounded theory methodology, with the unique component of being longitudinal in nature, as the purpose is to understand housing challenges or successes over time.
Seventeen Syrian families (resettled as GARs) in both London and Calgary, and 14 Syrian families in Fredericton were interviewed. The families were interviewed every year (barring pandemic interruptions) for five years. The interviews asked about housing needs, challenges, and changes, integration in the community, and overall status of the family.
Research Team
Abe Oudshoorn, Fawziah Rabiah-Mohammed, Leah Hamilton, Mohammed El Hazzouri, Cindy Brown, Luc Theriault, Victoria Esses, Eman Arnout, Mathew Vitale, Mohammad Bakhash, Sagida Elnihum & Sarah Benbow.
Funding
This Project entitled “Long-term housing outcomes of under-housed Syrian refugees” received funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) under the Insights grant stream, however, the views expressed are the personal views of the authors and not SSHRC.
Findings
Many families are struggling to achieve their desired housing. All 17 families in London identified themselves as under-housed. This included insufficient space for family size (most were in 2-bedroom apartments and included families of 5-7 persons, not including other extended family members temporarily co-housing), and for many families, rental costs deemed unsustainable, frustration with landlords/property managers, and poor housing conditions (disrepair, bed bugs, violence in shared spaces). Sixteen of the London families expressed a desire to move as soon as possible and all 17 of the London families clearly expressed a desired housing future different from their current situation, including improved space, safety, and/or home ownership. Families are continuously working on the process of successful settlement and integration (e.g., language acquisition, employment, building social networks etc.), but still feel stuck when it comes to housing matters. Marginalized social locations such as discrimination and lower English competency contributed to different experiences than Canadian citizens experiencing poverty.
Participants asked for: better tenant rights, improved social assistance income, job security in gig labour, recognition of international credentials/job experience, safer schools for children to thrive (free of discrimination), and government development of more affordable housing options.
The following figure is a preliminary model that offers a broad theoretical framework of what impacts achievement of desired housing.
Knowledge Translation
Click here for the preliminary findings report.