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Background Information
Finding a place to live is one of the most urgent of the many tasks that new refugees need to complete. Upon arrival, most refugees are in a dire financial situation.
- Refugee claimants are not allowed to work in Canada until they obtain a work permit, which takes an average of six months.
- Before this time, they must either use savings (which very few refugees have) or apply for welfare.
- It takes three to six weeks to start receiving welfare (before which time many refugees have no money whatsoever), and the welfare rates are low compared to the high cost of living in Vancouver.
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| Why do refugees have trouble finding adequate housing? |
Barriers faced by refugees in their search for safe and affordable housing include:
- Language barriers - new refugees often don't have a good knowledge of English.
- Lack of knowledge about how to find housing, difficulty reading ads for housing
- No access to on-line housing ads
- Few social support networks to help apply for housing, or babysitting while parents look for housing, etc.
- No transportation to get to housing and no money to pay for buses
- Discrimination from potential landlords
- Larger size of households - on average, family sizes are large and there is a smaller vacancy rate for large rental houses
- Absence of legal documents
- No employment references or credit history, often needed in order to rent
- Lack of knowledge surrounding the process and availability of subsidized housing
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How much money do refugees get?
The amount of social assistance received varies depending on the age and number of members of a family. Social assistance is divided into a housing portion ("shelter allowance") and a portion for everything else ("support"). As the housing portion is rarely enough for renting in Vancouver , many refugees have to subsidize their rental amount with the money designated for food and other things. This means less money for food, transportation, health care, etc.
| Family Size |
Shelter Allowance* |
Support* |
Total* |
| Single Person |
$325 |
$185 |
$510 |
| Couple |
$520 |
$307 |
$827 |
| Single with One Child |
$520 |
$325 |
$845 |
| Couple with One Child |
$555 |
$401 |
$956 |
| Couple with Two Kids |
$590 |
$401 |
$991 |
| Couple with Four Kids |
$660 |
$401 |
$1061 |
* According to the new provincial budget announced in February 2007, these rates will soon be increasing. The shelter allowance will rise by approximately $50.
Total welfare for an employable single person per year is $6,120. According to the National Council of Welfare (2003) the poverty line (measured by the LICO) is $19,795 for a single employable person. This means that there is a poverty gap of $13,351 for a single recipient, and that the welfare system provides only 33 percent of the poverty line.
How costly is housing in Vancouver?
Average rents in market rental apartment units in Vancouver in 2005 were as follows (from CMHC 2005):
| Size of Unit |
Cost Per Month |
| Bachelor apartment |
$678 |
| One bedroom apartment |
$788 |
| Two bedroom apartment |
$1,004 |
| Three or more bedroom apartment |
$1,184 |
In 2004, the rental vacancy rate in Vancouver was 1.3%, well below the average for British Columbia (3.4%). (CMHC Rental Market Survey)
How big is the problem?
More than 1000 refugee claimants come to the Lower Mainland each year. Very few of these people have any friends or family in Canada to help them find adequate housing. Unable to find help, many of Vancouver 's refugee claimants cope with the situation by living in overcrowded, unsanitary, or unsafe housing; "couch surfing" and being unsure whether one is overstaying their welcome; or living in a shelter that is impermanent.
Why is housing so important?
Refugees have a lot to deal with:
- the complicated process of claiming refugee status and becoming legal in Canada
- learning English and how to function in a foreign culture
- enrolling their children in school, getting medical insurance, etc.
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On top of all this work is the trauma of having been forced to leave their homeland, and perhaps the trauma of physical and mental torture. Not having something as basic as a bed to sleep in is a major and unnecessary extra stress.
Where are refugees coming from?
Refugee come from all over the world.
The ten countries with the largest number of refugees accepted in Canada for 2004 include:
| Country |
No of refugees |
| Pakistan |
3,851 |
| Colombia |
3,259 |
| Mexico |
2,684 |
| China |
2,403 |
| Costa Rica |
1,809 |
| Sri Lanka |
1,444 |
| India |
1,241 |
| Nigeria |
1,020 |
| Turkey |
1,061 |
| Peru |
926 |
Source: (IRB 2004 Statistics)
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