In 2007, as the development of Calgary’s 10-Year Plan to End Homelessness was underway, immigrant serving agencies raised concerns about the increasing housing challenges their newcomer clients were experiencing. At the same time, homeless serving agencies reported an increase in newcomers accessing their services. It became evident that particular attention and strategies would be required in the Plan to address specific barriers. It was clear that research was required to gain a better understanding of the issue. Research was conducted to provide an overview of existing literature, to gauge shelter use by newcomers, and to propose recommendations for policy changes and amendments to the 10-Year Plan in response to the housing needs of newcomers. As the Immigrant Housing Sector of the Calgary Homeless Foundation began to develop its Strategic Plan, members noted the need for a better understanding of the nature of hidden homelessness and housing difficulties experienced by newcomers in Calgary. The current study seeks to complement earlier work by focusing specifically on the newcomer population that was experiencing housing issues in Calgary. Hidden in Plain Sight presents key findings about the housing challenges experienced by newcomers to Calgary. It draws on the analysis of quantitative data from 292 survey responses and in-depth interviews with 20 newcomers who self-identified as having experienced housing issues. These findings were complemented by 12 interviews with service providers engaged in this issue from the homelessness, housing, immigration, and settlement sectors. It seeks to outline critical trends in this area of study; provides an analysis of the survey and interview findings to shed light on the experiences of newcomers and service providers; and highlights the complexity of experiences of those who have encountered housing difficulties. The report concludes with considerations for future action in programming and policy, potential impacts of the global recession on this population group, and future areas for research.

Summary Credit:
Homelessness-Related Research Capacities in Alberta: A Comprehensive Environmental Scan, prepared by Dr. Katharina Kovacs Burns, MSc, MHSA, PhD and Dr. Solina Richter, PhD, RN for The Alberta Homelessness Research Consortium (2010)