Housing Insecurity

Housing is a complex issue, and housing shortages are currently impacting much of the population in Ontario. This issue has a significant impact on wellbeing, and many students have reported having to choose between a safe location and cheaper housing costs. Students must navigate between competing priorities, including balancing academic success with working to offset their costs. Furthermore, while undergraduate students often start off in residence or university housing, graduate students must often make long-term decisions about housing without having a full understanding of their new city. Many landlords require a credit check and local references, which makes even acquiring housing a serious problem for some international students.

International students may be vulnerable to couch-surfing due to precarious housing situations. Incoming international students undergo significant life transitions and are often required to find housing without their regular social supports. Difficulty finding safe and appropriate housing and the associated instability have been linked to higher rates of anxiety, stress, and depression. International students are also at risk of mistreatment from Landlords, as they may be less aware of their tenancy rights. These issues demonstrate that investing in quality, safe, and affordable housing is a key issue in supporting international students in the long-term.

The increased attention on Canada’s housing crisis has led some to examine the country’s immigration policies and the amount of admitted international students. In addition, some are calling for changes to the current funding structure of universities that has them relying heavily on the high tuition of international students. The lack of alignment between post-secondary institutions and the local municipalities regarding enrollment numbers and housing availability has left international students in a precarious position, often becoming convenient targets of racism, discrimination, violence, scams, and more, due to their limited political power. Racism experienced by international students can take various forms such as microaggressions, stereotyping, isolation stemming from cultural differences or language barriers, and assumptions made by individuals (Quarshie, 2023). Discrimination in housing specifically can also appear as landlords refusing to rent to international students, imposing higher rents, or offering substandard living conditions. Furthermore, the housing crisis has sparked xenophobic responses from some Canadians, adding further layer of complexity to addressing these interconnected challenges.

To further understand the context of the housing crisis in Ontario, please refer to the slides from CICMH’s 2nd Annual Virtual International Student Summit.

For more information on student housing insecurity, please refer to this CICMH webinar.

Recommendations

1. Establish partnerships with landlords and property managers – By creating partnerships with local landlords, campuses can help to increase access to potential housing options for students.
2. Educate international office staff on housing issues – And have them available to international students for counsel. By providing this information upfront, as well providing in-house resources who are knowledgeable about rental laws in their communities, students can avoid common tenancy issues.
3. Prepare students for the housing market – Encourage them to begin the house hunting process ahead of time, and educate them on questions to ask, etc.
4. Opportunity to connect students to free legal counsel – Due to unfamiliarity with local laws, language barriers, and potential discrimination, the opportunity to connect international students to free legal advice could help them understand rights as tenants and protection from unfair evictions, navigate lease agreements, and resolve disputes with landlords and/or roommates.
   For more information, refer to CICMH’s “How to Get Along with Your Roommate” Infosheet.