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Housing Syrian Refugees in Winnipeg, Manitoba Housing Syrian Refugees in Winnipeg, Manitoba By: Rayan Akhtar Khavari A Capstone Project submitted to the Faculty of Graduate Studies of the University of Manitoba in partial fulfillment of the requirements of the degree of MASTER OF CITY PLANNING Department of City Planning Faculty of Architecture University of Manitoba Winnipeg Copyright © 2020 Rayan Akhtar Khavari i Acknowledgments First and foremost, I would like to thank my advisor Rae Bridgman, and my advisory committee members Sarah Cooper and Susan Radstrom. Their generosity of time and energy, and their thoughtful comments were instrumental throughout this process. I would also like to thank my friends and family for their constant support. I would particularly like to thank my incredibly supportive wife Angeline. Finally, I would like to thank all the wonderful people who agreed to participate in this research project. Their time and energy are pulled in many directions, as illustrated in the findings below, so I am particularly grateful they took the time to participate. ii Executive Summary In Canada, refugees mostly live in urban settings, and their access to affordable and adequate housing is an essential component of their social inclusion in a host society. The United Nations and Canadian International Laws consider refugees as a vulnerable population. Syrian refugees require many supports and services, as they start their long and formidable resettlement process in Winnipeg. At the beginning of November 2015, there was an influx of Syrian refugees to the city of Winnipeg, and local non-profit organizations in Winnipeg took on the refugees’ resettlement initiatives. In this research project, the roles of Winnipeg’s non-profit organizations in supporting Government Assisted Syrian Refugees (GARs) to access secure, safe, and affordable housing in Winnipeg are critically examined. More importantly, this research explores how local organizations could adopt social inclusion as a framework as they provide resettlement services for Syrian refugees. This research project is based upon the responses from semi- structured interviews with participants from six different non-profit organizations in Winnipeg, which provide resettlement services for Syrian refugees. The findings in this research project demonstrate that accessing affordable housing presents a major challenge for Syrian refugees. Subsequently, housing conditions, location, tenancy regulations, and a lack of housing units with adequate number of bedrooms for large households impede Syrian refugees from belonging to and thriving in their host society. Winnipeg’s non-profit organizations asserted that continuity in funding and opportunities to collaborate with other resettlement service providers would increase the quality of resettlement services provided. Nonetheless, local organizations realize the need to build their capacity to be more flexible and advocate for refugees. The findings also illustrate a need for local organizations to develop approaches or initiatives to facilitate the social inclusion of Syrian refugees. Local organizations are at the forefront of providing settlement services for Syrian refugees, and they play a pivotal role in ensuring the social inclusion of Syrian refugees. Recommendations outline how local non-profit organizations serving refugees can more effectively facilitate their social inclusion and advocate for their housing rights. This research project also outline recommendations for how federal and provincial governments could provide additional support and resources for local organizations. iii Table of Contents Acknowledgments…………………………………………………………………………………i Executive Summary………………………………………………………………………………ii Table of Contents………………………………………………………………………………...iii 1 Introduction….…………………………………………………………………………….....1 1.1 Definition of Key Terms………………………………………………………………1 1.1 Problem Statement…………………………………………………………………….2 1.2 Research Questions...………………………………………………………………….3 1.3 Purpose of Research Project…………………………………………………………..3 1.4 Significance of Research Project……………………………………………………...4 1.5 Overview……………………………………………………………………………....4 2 Literature Review…………………………………………………………………………....6 2.1 Refugees……………………………………………………………………………….6 2.2 Social Inclusion……...………………………………………………………………...8 2.3 Housing………………………………………………………………………………..9 2.4 Local Organizations………………………………………………………………….12 2.5 Summary.…………………………………………………………………………….14 3 Methodology……………………………………………………………………………...…15 3.1 Semi-structured Interviews…………………………………………………………..15 3.2 Participant selection and recruitment………………………………………………...16 3.3 Coding and Transcribing……………………………………………………………..16 3.4 Summary.…………………………………………………………………………….17 4 Findings and Analysis………………………………………………………………………18 4.1 Semi-structured Interviews Findings………………………………………………...18 4.2 Analysis……………………………………………………………………………....36 4.3 Summary……………………………………………………………………………..46 5 Conclusion…………………………………………………………………………………..48 5.1 Recommendations……………………………………………………………………48 5.2 In closing……………………………………………………………………………..50 References……………………………………………………………………………………….51 Appendix A………………………….…………………………………………………………...56 Appendix B……………………………………………………………………………………....57 Appendix C……………………...……………………………………………………………….63 1 Chapter 1 Introduction This research project examines the role of local organizations that work closely with Syrian refugees to identify the gaps and opportunities in services and resources available to assist them in their housing and resettlement in Winnipeg. In addition, this research project aims to understand how the implementation of practices by local organizations in supporting Syrian refugees may facilitate or inhibit their social inclusion. Th research focuses on the recent housing experiences of Syrian Government Assisted Refugees (GARs) in Winnipeg. A positive housing experience can facilitate many aspects of Syrian refugees’ integration in Winnipeg. This research acknowledges that local organizations play a vital role in providing settlement services, as well as promoting and advocating for Syrian refugees’ integration and well-being in their host society. This introductory chapter includes the background to and rationale for the inquiry, questions guiding the research project, and the significance of the research. To ensure the reader has a common understanding of the key concepts and terminology in this research project, key terms are defined. 1.1 Definitions of Key Terms Refugees are “people who have left their home countries, fleeing persecution, war, and violence” (Bolzoni, Gargiulo, & Manocchi, 2015, p. 400). Social inclusion is the process of dismantling barriers and allowing all individuals in a society to fully participate in the development of economic, political, social, and cultural mechanisms, practices, and institutions (Boli, 2016; Omidvar & Richmond, 2005). Local organizations are non-profit organizations that provide settlement services or programs or resources for Syrian refugees and other newcomers, such as housing, employment services, health services, language programs, life skills programs, and educational services. 2 1.2 Problem Statement Refugees across Canada are encountering a housing crisis. Fixed rental allowances received by Government Assisted Refugees (GARs), as well as the federal government’s “retreat from social housing provision,” and a rapid increase in housing prices since the 1990s in various Canadian cities, have jointly produced a housing crisis for refugees (Silvius & Poole, 2015, p. 1). Housing affordability is a primary obstacle for refugees trying to access housing (Carter & Osborne, 2009). Refugees notably have lower-incomes, and most often, they end up spending more than 30% of their gross household income on rent. This is considered a housing affordability issue in established Canadian standards (Carter & Osborne, 2009). In Winnipeg, local organizations take the initiative to provide transitional and permanent housing for refugees, and the federal government mainly funds these organizations. However, there are numerous gaps in local resettlement programs, and this has been proven through the recent decision by the federal government to stop funding the Resettlement Assistance Program (RAP) for Welcome Place in Winnipeg by April 2020 (Macdonell, 2019). Manitoba Interfaith Immigration Council (MIIC) commonly referred to as Welcome Place, is one of the main local organizations responsible for the initial settlement of GARs in Winnipeg, providing temporary housing upon arrival, and helping refugees to find their first long-term home (Silvius, Al- Ubeady, Chyz-Lund, Colorado, & Halldorson, 2017). The RAP is a program funded by the federal government to cover housing and basic needs for refugees in their first year of arrival (Government of Canada, 2019). In Winnipeg, refugees mostly settle and live in the inner city, which is an area characterized as having safety challenges, lack of employment opportunities, and inadequate affordable housing (Carter & Osborner, 2009). Local organizations that assist Syrian refugees in their resettlement and housing play a vital role in shaping opportunities for social inclusion. According to Anderson, Turner, and Søholt (2013), "access to housing is considered to be an essential step on their path to social inclusion, and it is often a precondition for the full enjoyment of social and civil rights and social services" (para. 1). Adequate housing is essential for the overall well-being of refugees, as it creates a sense of safety, dignity, and belonging (Dutch
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