Toronto’s Housing Crisis: An Intersectional Politics of Housing and Settlement Services for Refugees by Mary-Kay Bachour A thesis submitted in conformity with the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Human Geography Department of Geography and Planning University of Toronto © Copyright by « Mary-Kay Bachour » « 2020» Toronto’s Housing Crisis: An Intersectional Politics of Housing and Settlement Services for Refugees Mary-Kay Bachour Doctor of Philosophy Department of Geography and Planning University of Toronto 2020 Abstract In this dissertation, I unpack the intersectional politics of the housing crisis in Toronto through the perspectives of frontline staff working in non-profit organisations. Two critical questions frame this study. Firstly, how have service providers addressed the housing and settlement needs of refugees in the context of Canada’s housing crisis? Secondly, how are race, class, language and citizenship status tied into the politics of housing and settlement service provision in Toronto? Utilising semi-structured interviews with frontline staff employed in various non-profit across Toronto, this research identifies and analyses systemic barriers to housing access among newly arrived refugees in Canada as they cut across race, class, language and citizenship status. This study interrogates the disjuncture between immigration and housing policies, programs and procedures and access to rental housing among refugees in Toronto. I draw on antiracist feminist frameworks, particularly intersectionality and theories of home-making, to enrich current conceptualisations of housing access and inequality in Canada. I unpack barriers refugees face when accessing the private rental market in Toronto, to reveal the multilayered ways in which marginalized communities experience housing inequality in Canada. In doing so, this dissertation reveals the limitations of the reliance on private housing stock for housing refugees as they face barriers, including lack of Canadian references and credit scores, lack of employment, language ii barriers and housing discrimination. Additionally, this study underscores the limitations of settlement and housing service provision available to vulnerable populations, such as refugees in Toronto. By engaging with the voices of frontline staff who consistently interact with refugees, this study sheds light on the intersectional praxis of service provision and the limitations service providers confront when administering programs for vulnerable populations in Toronto. Finally, this study unveils the roles community and grassroots organisations, such as the Ontario Coalition Against Poverty, Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now, and Parkdale Organize!, play in (re)imagining housing justice in Toronto. This study identifies and contributes a novel methodological and conceptual approach to housing research in geography by bringing to the fore frontline staff as a key category of analysis seldom featured in studies on Canada’s housing system. iii Acknowledgements This dissertation was made possible through the support, feedback and guidance of many important individuals. To begin, I would like to thank all the research participants and staff interviewed for this project. Thank you for sharing your experiences, opinions and expertise with me. Your willingness to participate and share your knowledge for this project was invaluable. Thank you for your open and honest conversations and for all the work you do on a daily basis. I hope I have given your voices and the communities you serve justice within this project. I would like to thank my supervisor, Rachel Silvey, for taking me on as a student and providing me with feedback and encouragement throughout. It has been quite the journey! To all committee members, including Marieme Lo, Michelle Buckley, Audrey Kobayashi and Susannah Bunce, your discussions have been illuminating. Thank you for taking the time to read, challenge and contribute to my work. I would like to give a very special thanks to Marieme Lo. You have witnessed and greatly contributed to my personal and professional growth as an antiracist feminist scholar. Your perseverance, work and dedication to antiracist praxis within the academy is truly inspiring. Scholars such as yourself have paved the way for future generations to pursue critical, antiracist feminist work and I am incredibly honoured to have been able to work with you throughout my university career. Thank you for your knowledge, insights, advice and warm encouragement. Words cannot express my gratitude. I would also like to thank all of my PhD colleagues who I have met throughout the years. Thank you for sharing your insights and knowledge about your own research interests. I am privileged to witness the different types of critical research projects emerging from geography. A special thanks goes out to all of my friends. I know you have all been waiting for this moment as much as I have. Thank you for always giving me love, support, advice and guidance during this time. You all motivated and contributed to my growth in different ways. Your support, iv patience and care are not lost on me. Thank you for always being there for me and encouraging me to keep going. Your gestures of support meant more to me than you know! I want to give a special thanks to Thom, Sumaya, Ashley, Ania and Killian for their edits, discussions, advice and necessary breaks. Your company during this time meant a great deal. Finally, to my mom, dad and brothers. Heartfelt thanks and gratitude to you for your patience, love and support. I am extremely excited to finally be able to share this very important moment with you all! v Table of Contents Table of Contents ......................................................................................................................... vi List of Tables ................................................................................................................................ ix List of Figures .................................................................................................................................x List of Acronyms .......................................................................................................................... xi List of Appendices ....................................................................................................................... xii 1 Introduction ............................................................................................................................1 1.1 Defining and contextualising the housing crisis in Canada: .................................................. 3 1.1.1 What is the housing crisis and whom does it impact? ............................................................................ 3 1.1.2 Why focus on refugees and housing inequality? .................................................................................... 6 1.2 Problem Statement .................................................................................................................... 8 1.3 Research objective and research question(s) ......................................................................... 10 1.4 Theoretical framework ............................................................................................................ 11 1.5 Research Methodology ............................................................................................................ 17 1.5.1 Data and research methods ................................................................................................................... 19 1.5.2 Being an insider/outsider in research: Situating my positionality ........................................................ 28 1.6 Research contributions and map of dissertation .................................................................. 29 2 Chapter 1: Engaging housing scholarship: Analysing the complex realities of refugees in Canada ......................................................................................................................................33 2.1 Introduction .............................................................................................................................. 33 2.2 Part I: Race, space, and place: Conceptualising housing inequality in Canada ................ 35 2.2.1 The spatialisation of race and poverty in Canada ................................................................................ 36 2.2.2 Gentrification and the financialisation of the housing market in Canada ............................................ 41 2.2.3 Inclusionary zoning, municipal by-laws and supportive housing ........................................................ 47 2.3 Part II: Limitations and tensions of the housing literature in Canada ............................... 53 2.3.1 Refugees and housing access in Canada .............................................................................................. 53 2.3.2 Housing discrimination in the Canadian private rental market ............................................................ 57 2.4 Part III: A Housing justice model informed by antiracist feminist frameworks ............... 61 vi 2.5 Conclusions ............................................................................................................................... 67 3 Chapter 2: Seeking refuge in non-profits: Neoliberal governance and access to affordable housing among refugees in Toronto .......................................................................................68