2.C Settlement and Integration
C.2 What arrangements are made for housing?
(viii) How can private landlords be engaged to provide affordable housing to sponsored refugees?
How Canada Does It
In Canada, municipal governments, non-profit organizations, and sponsors have engaged landlords by establishing cross-sector councils or task forces. These groups work to meet refugee housing needs, make public calls to landlords to provide housing, create housing registries for refugees, and make information available to landlords regarding the benefits of renting to refugees (e.g. refugees have guaranteed income for their first year, making payment more likely to be secure).
In Canada, particularly in the context of the Syrian refugee crisis, landlords have come forward to assist with permanent housing for refugees in many cities, including in response to public calls to address housing shortages. Non-profit organizations also work as advocates on housing issues and actively engage landlords, settlement agencies, and municipalities. Refugee 613, for example, is working to expand the supply of low-cost housing in Ottawa and help refugees find housing on limited budgets. As part of these efforts, it has led the development of a volunteer-run web portal and housing service called Roofs for Refugees that connects housing offers with refugees, sponsoring groups, and settlement agencies.