Access to Housing as an Adaptive Strategy for Immigrant Groups: Africans in Calgary.

Although Africans have been present in Canada for at least a century and a half, very little is known about them. This may be partly attributed to the tendency for earlier censuses and immigration data to lump all "Blacks" into one category, and partly due to the fact that Africa has not traditionally been a source of immigrants to Canada. This paper examines how the residential circumstances of African immigrants in Calgary have impacted on their adaptation to their new society. Analysis of both quantitative and qualitative data reveals that, while a few Africans have managed to fit well into the socioeconomic structure of mainstream society, the majority continue to experience various forms of difficulties, including affordability. These difficulties are more pronounced in the housing and employment markets where factors such as discrimination, ethnicity, financial constraints, and recency of immigration have combined to disadvantage Africans and deny them access to equal opportunities. For low-income earners, these problems are more likely to cause additional deprivations and the propensity to experience core housing need. The study identifies discrimination in the housing market to be the most formidable barrier faced by Black African immigrants in Calgary. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]