LEGAL STATUS, PLACE, OR SOMETHING ELSE? THE HOUSING EXPERIENCES OF REFUGEES IN WINNIPEG AND VANCOUVER.

The housing difficulties facing many low income Canadians today is well documented. For newcomers, and particularly refugees, these challenges may be amplified. This paper considers the influence of legal status and place in the housing outcomes of government-assisted refugees and refugee claimants in Vancouver, BC and Winnipeg, MB. Results from the study indicate that while claimants in Vancouver face a more difficult 'pathway to permanent housing' than do government-assisted refugees, the same is not true in Winnipeg. More alarmingly, certain refugee groups face barriers beyond legal status and place, owing to characteristics of the group itself. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]