Abstract
Introduction: Immigrant and refugee families are vulnerable to cultural stereotyping and socioeconomic hardships when they migrate to a new country. Immigrants and refugees make up around 22.3% of the Canadian population. New immigrants and refugees face unique barriers that render them vulnerable to inadequate and unsafe housing conditions. Access to adequate and affordable housing has been strongly linked with all aspects of health and well-being amongst immigrants and refugee populations. There are significant knowledge gaps and limited empirical studies on the housing challenges of immigrant and refugee families, specifically in the province of Saskatchewan which has a noticeable increase in immigrant and refugee families.
Aim: To explore housing challenges among immigrant and refugee families in Saskatchewan, Canada, and seek their recommendations on the support needed to minimize housing challenges and improve the quality of their lives.
Methods: A critical ethnographic study design was employed to examine the housing challenges of refugee and immigrant families in Saskatchewan and seek their recommendations on the support needed to minimize housing challenges and improve the quality of their lives. Data was collected using multiple methods, including observations, document analysis and interviews with 25 immigrant and refugee families belonging to diverse socio-cultural backgrounds.
Findings: Refugee and immigrant families’ experiences revealed that they are facing tremendous challenges to secure safe and need-based housing in Saskatchewan, Canada due to a variety of barriers at the individual, societal, organizational and global levels. These challenges were increasing stress, health issues, and accessibility challenges among all age groups of the refugee and immigrant families, including those living with disabilities.
Conclusion: Migrant families must be involved as partners in developing housing programs and policies to ensure that the offered services are need-based and culturally sensitive. Efforts from all sectors of society are vital to improving the quality of life of refugee and immigrant families through educational and economic skills-building programs, language programs, financial literacy programs, child and disability benefits, and housing schemes/programs that are need-based and user-friendly.
Notes
References:
Davidson, K. M., & Gondara, L. (2021). A Comparison of Mental Health, Food Insecurity, and Diet Quality Indicators between Foreign-Born Immigrants of Canada and Native-Born Canadians. Journal of Hunger & Environmental Nutrition, 16(1), 109-132.
Drolet, J. L., & Teixeira, C. (2020). Fostering immigrant settlement and housing in small cities: Voices of settlement practitioners and service providers in British Columbia, Canada. The Social Science Journal, 1-15.
Rolfe, S., Garnham, L., Godwin, J., Anderson, I., Seaman, P., & Donaldson, C. (2020). Housing as a social determinant of health and wellbeing: developing an empirically-informed realist theoretical framework. BMC Public Health, 20(1), 1-19.
Zhu, Y., Yuan, Y., Gu, J., & Fu, Q. (2021). Neoliberalization and inequality: disparities in access to affordable housing in urban Canada 1981–2016. Housing Studies, 1-28.
Sigma Membership
Phi Gamma (Virtual), Rho Delta
Type
Presentation
Format Type
Text-based Document
Study Design/Type
Ethnography
Research Approach
Qualitative Research
Keywords:
Health Equity or Social Determinants of Health, Public and Community Health, Politics and Advocacy, Immigrants, Housing Status, Canada
Recommended Citation
Hirani, Shela, "Housing Challenges Affecting Well-Being of Migrant Families in Canada: A Qualitative Study" (2025). International Nursing Research Congress (INRC). 201.
https://www.sigmarepository.org/inrc/2025/presentations_2025/201
Conference Name
36th International Nursing Research Congress
Conference Host
Sigma Theta Tau International
Conference Location
Seattle, Washington, USA
Conference Year
2025
Rights Holder
All rights reserved by the author(s) and/or publisher(s) listed in this item record unless relinquished in whole or part by a rights notation or a Creative Commons License present in this item record.
Review Type
Abstract Review Only: Reviewed by Event Host
Acquisition
Proxy-submission
Housing Challenges Affecting Well-Being of Migrant Families in Canada: A Qualitative Study
Seattle, Washington, USA
Introduction: Immigrant and refugee families are vulnerable to cultural stereotyping and socioeconomic hardships when they migrate to a new country. Immigrants and refugees make up around 22.3% of the Canadian population. New immigrants and refugees face unique barriers that render them vulnerable to inadequate and unsafe housing conditions. Access to adequate and affordable housing has been strongly linked with all aspects of health and well-being amongst immigrants and refugee populations. There are significant knowledge gaps and limited empirical studies on the housing challenges of immigrant and refugee families, specifically in the province of Saskatchewan which has a noticeable increase in immigrant and refugee families.
Aim: To explore housing challenges among immigrant and refugee families in Saskatchewan, Canada, and seek their recommendations on the support needed to minimize housing challenges and improve the quality of their lives.
Methods: A critical ethnographic study design was employed to examine the housing challenges of refugee and immigrant families in Saskatchewan and seek their recommendations on the support needed to minimize housing challenges and improve the quality of their lives. Data was collected using multiple methods, including observations, document analysis and interviews with 25 immigrant and refugee families belonging to diverse socio-cultural backgrounds.
Findings: Refugee and immigrant families’ experiences revealed that they are facing tremendous challenges to secure safe and need-based housing in Saskatchewan, Canada due to a variety of barriers at the individual, societal, organizational and global levels. These challenges were increasing stress, health issues, and accessibility challenges among all age groups of the refugee and immigrant families, including those living with disabilities.
Conclusion: Migrant families must be involved as partners in developing housing programs and policies to ensure that the offered services are need-based and culturally sensitive. Efforts from all sectors of society are vital to improving the quality of life of refugee and immigrant families through educational and economic skills-building programs, language programs, financial literacy programs, child and disability benefits, and housing schemes/programs that are need-based and user-friendly.
Description
Migrant families face unique barriers that render them vulnerable to inadequate and unsafe housing conditions. Access to adequate and affordable housing has been strongly linked with all aspects of health and well-being amongst migrant families. This critical ethnographic study presents the housing challenges among immigrant and refugee families in Saskatchewan, Canada, and proposes recommendations on the support needed to minimize housing challenges and improve the quality of their lives.