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The Profile of Absolute and Relative Homelessness Among Immigrants, Refugees, and Refugee Claimants in the GVRD

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The Profile of Absolute and Relative Homelessness Among Immigrants, Refugees, and Refugee Claimants in the GVRD The Profile of Absolute and Relative Homelessness Among Immigrants, Refugees, and Refugee Claimants in the GVRD Final Report Prepared for the National Secretariat on Homelessness Principal investigator: Sherman Chan Authors: Daniel Hiebert Silvia D’Addario Kathy Sherrell © MOSAIC, May 2005 Acknowledgements This study has been funded by the National Secretariat on Homelessness and has been conducted by members of MOSAIC and the Geography Department at the University of British Columbia. Other partners included representatives of governments and community-based service organizations in BC, who participated on the Research Advisory Committee, which has been essential in all phases of the project. __ Members of the Project Advisory Committee: Annie McKitrick Surrey Social Futures Society Ansar Cheung SUCCESS Barbie Wu MOSAIC Settlement Services Carolyn Glover Citizenship and Immigration Canada Catalina Hernandez Inland Refugee Society (IRS) Deborah Isaacs Sisters of the Good Shepherd/SCION Project Daniel Hiebert UBC Department of Geography/RIIM Gustavo Carcuz BCSIWA Jim Siemens Immigrant Services Society Welcome House Joan Cotie Shelter Net BC Society Kathy Sherrell Research Coordinator Leslee Madore Surrey Delta Immigrant Services Society Lesley Sherlock City of Richmond Sadia Ramirez Tenants Rights Action Coalition Shahnaz Eduljee Shelter Net BC Society Sherman Chan MOSAIC Settlement Services Silvia D’Addario Research Coordinator Victor Porter MOSAIC Community Outreach Program In addition to the generous support of the National Homelessness Secretariat, approximately $15,000 was provided in secretarial and research time by the Vancouver Centre for Excellence on Immigration and Integration in the Metropolis (RIIM). Special acknowledgements are extended to Priscilla Wei for transcribing interviews, Matthew Hiebert for data entry, and Kristin Olsen for producing the G.I.S. maps for this research. i Table of Contents Acknowledgements.......................................................................................................................... i Table of Contents............................................................................................................................ ii Tables of Figures and Tables ......................................................................................................... iv Acronyms.........................................................................................................................................v Executive Summary....................................................................................................................... vi Context and Objectives........................................................................................................... vi Brief synopsis of the main findings ...................................................................................... vi Methodology ............................................................................................................................ vi Findings: Sub-Study 1............................................................................................................ vii Findings: Sub-Study 2...........................................................................................................viii Findings: Sub-Study 3............................................................................................................. ix Overall Conclusions and Policy Implications....................................................................... x Introduction......................................................................................................................................1 Geographic Scope ....................................................................................................................... 3 Purpose and Objectives............................................................................................................... 3 Collaborative Relationship.......................................................................................................... 4 Research Advisory Committee ................................................................................................... 5 Basic outline of the report, and brief synopsis of the main findings .......................................... 5 Part 1: Triangulating the Literatures on Immigration, Housing and Homelessness........................7 Introduction................................................................................................................................. 7 Barriers to Housing Access......................................................................................................... 7 Financial Obstacles for Newcomers ....................................................................................... 8 Barriers to Housing for Immigrants and Refugees ............................................................... 10 Responding with Strategies....................................................................................................... 17 Consequences............................................................................................................................ 20 Residential Patterns Among Immigrants .............................................................................. 20 Poverty and Homelessness.................................................................................................... 26 Homelessness............................................................................................................................ 29 Explanations.......................................................................................................................... 30 Enumerating.......................................................................................................................... 31 Estimating ............................................................................................................................. 33 Conclusion ................................................................................................................................ 34 Part 2: Methodology ......................................................................................................................36 Sub-Study 1: The Shelter Survey.............................................................................................. 36 Key Informant Interviews ..................................................................................................... 37 Shelter Survey....................................................................................................................... 39 Sub-Study 2: The refugee claimant study................................................................................. 42 Sub-study 3: The housing survey.............................................................................................. 47 Definition of help.................................................................................................................. 51 Discussion................................................................................................................................. 52 Part 3: The Shelter Study ...............................................................................................................57 Part 3, Section A: Key Informant Interviews............................................................................ 57 Themes That Arose in the Interviews ................................................................................... 57 ii Part 3, Section B: Shelter Survey.............................................................................................. 66 Characteristics of Respondents ............................................................................................. 66 Housing ................................................................................................................................. 68 Contributing factors to homelessness ................................................................................... 69 Sources of Income................................................................................................................. 70 Principal findings...................................................................................................................... 71 Discussion: ‘Taking care of their own’? or falling through the cracks…................................. 73 Part 4: The refugee claimant study ................................................................................................78 Income....................................................................................................................................... 78 Rent........................................................................................................................................... 79 Labour Market .......................................................................................................................... 82 Language................................................................................................................................... 85 Discrimination........................................................................................................................... 86 Social Insurance .................................................................................................................... 87 Source of Income .................................................................................................................
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