Hidden Homelessness Among Newcomers in the GTA-

Symptoms, Signs and Solutions

S.Gopikrishna Executive Director

Scarborough Housing Help Centre 15 May 2014

Context- Interaction of Employment and Settlement

The context for Hidden Homelessness needs to be framed in the context of newcomer priorities in Canada, including employment and settlement. Housing is one of the most important components of settlement.

Many newcomers apply for immigration to Canada because they

see a better future for their themselves and their children.

Newcomers are selected for admission to Canada based on their skills . They come to Canada expecting to find employment in their own field.

Canadian immigrant services are designed such that Settlement and

Employment are seen as parallel, independent processes i.e. one can be completed without reference to the other.

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Context- Interaction of Employment and Settlement

Newcomers often go to non-profit agencies mandated to help them settle. Non-profit organizations follow a Client Centred Model of service where the client is the ultimate decision maker.

Newcomers’ assumptions are different from model assumptions – they make settlement dependent on employment and respond with “Help me with a job and I can settle without any problem.”

Immigrants don’t get employment for a variety of reasons e.g. lack of Canadian experience and lack of adequate recognition for foreign credentials . However the lack of employment also means that the settlement process is incomplete.

The interaction of the lack of employment and its influence on housing result in “Hidden Homelessness”.

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What is Hidden Homelessness?

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What is Hidden Homelessness?

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Why does Hidden Homelessness persist?

Hidden Homelessness is initially caused by: Employment, References and Credit Checks- newcomers fail all

components Need to pay six months of rent or more as an initial deposit Unemployment and underemployment

Hidden Homelessness persists because of: Lack of access to housing appropriate for newcomer means and needs Lack of awareness about legal rights as tenants- reluctance to complain

after being informed about legal rights Limited economic means restrict choices and options- the newcomer may

be unhappy with their circumstances but doesn’t have the means to improve their housing situation.

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Why is hidden homelessness hidden?

No awareness of the phenomenon among newcomers-Many

newcomers see this as a “temporary adjustment” issue and not as a permanent issue

As seen in the Context, community members see Hidden Homelessness is seen as the outcome of the lack of employment and not a separate issue in itself. However, if the employment issue is not resolved, the “hidden homelessness” issue is not resolved either

Defensiveness- “We lived together in my native country” -

however, in Canada, this is forced on the client and not a matter of choice

At the community level, community elders don’t like talking about

hidden homelessness since “gives the community a bad name” and “model minority construct”

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Impact of hidden homelessness

Children don’t have enough space to study- studies have proved

that children living in temporary accommodation tend to fall behind

Parents working multiple jobs to pay rent results in inadequate supervision for children - this creates secondary issues which are doubly disappointing to the parents. This defeats the primary reason for the parents’ migration to Canada.

Health related issues- depression is common among

newcomers.Many newcomers don’t have medical benefits coverage and can’t address their health issues in a timely fashion

Social tensions between families living in the same space

Implications of hidden homelessness

Do the known populations of the GTA and Ontario take the Hidden Homeless population into account?

Would the lack of accuracy in counting the population impact monetary transfers from Federal, Provincial and Municipal levels of government?

We have seen a concentration of poverty and poor housing conditions in many high rise buildings? While many still consider high rises to be good places to live and raise children, will we see manifestations of a typical “American downtown” in our high rises?

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Solutions

Partnerships between housing agencies and agencies serving newcomers

Public education specifically targeting newcomers before and after

they arrive in Canada Encourage home owning clients with basements to rent to officially

convert them to “second suites”

Encourage discussion through specifically discouraging newcomers to live up to mythical constructs e.g. “model minority”.

Have a rent-supplement program/rent-subsidy/loan program specifically aimed at newcomers