Abstract
Toronto is Canada’s main port of entry for new immigrants and refugees as well as the country’s most culturally diverse city. It is also one of the most expensive housing markets in Canada. This study examines the housing experiences of three relatively recent, Portuguese-speaking African immigrant groups—the Angolans, the Mozambicans, and the Cape Verdeans—in Toronto’s rental market, by examining their settlement experiences and housing search processes, as well as the outcomes of those searches. The evidence indicates that most respondents experienced discrimination by landlords in their housing search (this was less of a problem for the Cape Verdeans, who have a lighter skin colour). Both Angolans and Mozambicans encountered significant barriers in locating and securing affordable housing in a suitable neighbourhood. The study also examines their relations with the established white Portuguese community. Clearly, race (the colour of one’s skin) still matters in Toronto’s rental housing market. Racism—whether real or perceived—can result in social exclusion and housing segregation of immigrant groups in low-income neighbourhoods, and thus a slower integration of newcomers into Canadian society. This study points to the need for more comparative studies on visible and non-visible minorities, including newcomers from Africa (whether English-, French-, Spanish-, or Portuguese-speaking), to understand why certain groups are more successful than others in finding affordable housing in a neighbourhood of their choice.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Ballay, P., & Bulthuis, M. (2004). The changing portrait of homelessness. In C. Andrew (Ed.), Our diverse cities (pp. 119–123). Ottawa: Metropolis Institute.
Danso, R. K., & Grant, M. R. (2000). Access to housing as an adaptive strategy for immigrant groups: Africans in Calgary. Canadian Ethnic Studies, 32, 19–43.
Darden, J. T. (2004). The significance of white supremacy in the Canadian metropolis of Toronto. Lewiston: The Edwin Mellen Press.
Dion, K. L. (2001). Immigrants’ perceptions of housing discrimination in Toronto: The housing new Canadians project. Journal of Social Issues, 57, 523–539.
Fonseca, M. L. (2005). The changing face of Portugal: Immigration and ethnic pluralism. Canadian Diversity/Diversité Canadienne, 4, 57–62.
Ghosh, S. (2007). Transnational ties and intra-immigrant group settlement experiences: A case study of Indian Bengalis and Bengladeshis in Toronto. GeoJournal, 68, 223–242.
Hiebert, D. (2000). Immigration and the changing Canadian city. Canadian Geographer, 44, 25–43.
Hulchanski, J. D. (2001). A tale of two Canadas: Homeowners getting richer, renters getting poorer. Toronto: University of Toronto, Centre for Urban and Community Studies.
Hulchanski, J. D., & Shapcott, M. (2004). Introduction: Finding room in the housing system for all Canadians. In J. D. Hulchanski & M. Shapcott (Eds.), Finding room: Policy options for a Canadian rental housing market. Toronto: Centre for Urban and Community Studies, University of Toronto.
Kazemipur, A., & Halli, S. S. (2000). The new poverty in Canada: Ethnic groups and ghetto neighbourhoods. Toronto: Thompson Educational.
Machado, F. L. (1994). Luso-africanos nas margens da etnicidade. Sociologia—Problemas e Práticas, 16, 111–134.
Mendez, P., Hiebert, D., & Wyly, E. (2006). Landing at home: Insights on immigration and metropolitan housing markets for a longitudinal survey of immigrants to Canada. Canadian Journal of Urban Research, 15, 82–104.
Mensah, J. (2005). On the ethno-cultural heterogeneity of Blacks in our ‘ethnicities’. In M. Siemiatycki (Ed.), Immigration and the intersection of diversity. Ottawa: Metropolis Institute.
Murdie, R. A. (2002). The housing careers of Polish and Somali newcomers in Toronto’s rental market. Housing Studies, 17, 423–443.
Murdie, R. A. (2003). Housing affordability and Toronto’s rental market: Perspectives from the housing careers of Jamaican, Polish and Somali newcomers. Housing, Theory and Society, 20, 183–196.
Murdie, R. A., Chambon, A., Hulchanski, J. D., & Teixeira, C. (1996). Housing issues facing immigrants and refugees in Greater Toronto: Initial findings from the Jamaican, Polish and Somali Communities. In E. M. Komut (Ed.), Housing question of the others (pp. 179–190). Ankara: Chamber of Architects of Turkey.
Murdie, R. A., & Teixeira, C. (2003). Towards a comfortable neighbourhood and appropriate housing: Immigrant experiences in Toronto. In P. Anisef & M. Lanphier (Eds.), The world in a city (pp. 132–191). Toronto: University of Toronto Press.
Murdie, R. A., & Teixeira, C. (2006). Urban social space. In T. Bunting & P. Filion (Eds.), Canadian cities in transition: Local through global perspectives (pp. 154–170). Toronto: Oxford University Press.
Novac, S., Darden, J., Hulchanski, D., & Seguin, A. M. (2004). Housing discrimination in Canada: Stakeholder views and research gaps. In J. D. Hulchanski & M. Shapcott (Eds.), Finding room: Policy options for a Canadian rental housing market. Toronto: Centre for Urban and Community Studies, University of Toronto.
Oliveira, A., & Teixeira, C. (2004). Jovens Portugueses e Luso-descendentes no Canadá: Trajectórias de inserçao em espaços multiculturais. Oeiras, Lisboa: Celta Editora.
Opoku-Dapaah, E. (2006). African immigrants in Canada: Trends, socio-demographic and spatial aspects. In K. Konadu-Agyemang, B. K. Takyi & J. Arthu (Eds.), The new African diaspora in North America: Trends, community building, and adaptation (pp. 69–93). New York: Rowman & Littlefield.
Owusu, T. (1999). Residential patterns and housing choices of Ghanaian immigrants in Toronto. Housing Studies, 14, 77–97.
Preston, V., & Murnaghan, A. M. (2005). Immigration and racialization in Canada: Geographies of exclusion? In M. Siemiatyck (Ed.), Immigration and the intersection of diversity (pp. 67–71). Ottawa: Metropolis Institute.
Pruegger, V., Cook, D., & Hawkesworth, A. (2004). Implications of urban diversity for housing. In C. Andrew (Ed.), Our diverse cities (pp. 124–125). Ottawa: Metropolis Institute.
Qadeer, M. A. (2004). Ethnic segregation in a multicultural city: The case of Toronto, Canada. CERIS, Policy Matters, 6, 1–6.
Renaud, J., Begin, K., Ferreira, V., & Rose, D. (2006). The residential mobility of newcomers to Canada: The first months. Canadian Journal of Urban Research, 15, 79–95.
Rose, D., & Ray, B. (2000). Landed refugee claimants’ first three years in Québec: Their housing experiences. Montreal: CERIS—Montreal.
Statistics Canada. (2001). Special tabulation—table 97f0009xdb2001002. Available from Statistics Canada web site at: http://ww12.statcan.ca/English/Census01/products/standart/themes/index.cfm.
Teixeira, C., & Murdie, R. (1997). The role of ethnic real estate agents in the residential relocation process: A case study of Portuguese homebuyers in suburban Toronto. Urban Geography, 18, 497–520.
Acknowledgements
Financial support for this study was provided by CMHC (Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation). The author would like to express his appreciation to all members of the Cape Verdean, Angolan and Mozambican communities for sharing with us their housing experiences in Toronto. The author also wishes to thank Julia Sança, Esperança Panzo and Inacio de Natividade from these study communities for their advice and for helping in the data collection. Appreciation is also extended to Robert A. Murdie and Denis Losier for their helpful comments and criticism on an earlier version of this paper.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Teixeira, C. Barriers and outcomes in the housing searches of new immigrants and refugees: a case study of “Black” Africans in Toronto’s rental market. J Hous and the Built Environ 23, 253–276 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10901-008-9118-9
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10901-008-9118-9