Asylum seekers face hurdles, discrimination as they compete for housing in Montreal – Montreal | 24CA News
Pedro Fonseca, a 43-year-old asylum seeker from Colombia, says if he doesn’t begin receiving social help from the Quebec authorities quickly, he’ll probably turn into homeless.
He says he may ask household again residence for a mortgage — however his kin have little cash.
“I am trying to be optimistic, but it’s very stressful,” Fonseca stated in Spanish throughout a latest interview at his residence in Montreal’s Rosemont-La-Petite-Patrie borough.
Fonseca, who crossed into Quebec from the United States in late November by means of Roxham Road — an irregular border crossing utilized by 1000’s of migrants a yr — is right down to his previous few hundred {dollars} and residing with a roommate in a modest, two-bedroom condo. He pays $410 a month.
The asylum seeker can’t get a piece allow till he’s interviewed by the federal Immigration Department about his refugee declare; his appointment is in March 2024.
Fonseca is among the many 39,171 asylum seekers who crossed into Quebec in 2022 by means of Roxham Road — an annual file. He and different would-be refugees are placing stress on Quebec’s social providers and competing with residents for restricted housing choices.
Melissa Claisse, from the Montreal-based Welcome Collective, an area group that assists refugee claimants, stated asylum seekers face huge difficulties discovering flats.
“It is magnified for this population because of their precarious immigration status,” Claisse stated in a latest interview. “We have families who encounter a lot of scams. We try to warn families about these types of things.”
When asylum seekers arrive in Quebec, they’re transported to resorts rented by the federal authorities, and after a brief interval, they’re moved to government-run shelters. If would-be refugees have cash or are receiving Quebec social help, they need to discover a place of their very own.
Fonseca is a veteran of Colombia’s army, and he stated he and his spouse have been threatened with violence due to his previous as a soldier. He stated he arrived at a Montreal-area lodge on Nov. 29 and some weeks later was moved to a shelter in downtown Montreal, whereas his spouse and 15-year-old son remained again residence in Floridablanca, about 400 kilometres northeast of the capital, Bogotá.
At the shelter, Fonseca was assigned to a room with three different males and informed by officers he wanted to search out housing inside seven days as a result of he arrived in Canada with an excessive amount of cash — US$2,400. He stated he filed his Quebec social help paperwork and is ready for a reply.
In late-December, Fonseca moved right into a one-bedroom condo in Montreal with three different asylum seekers.
“Two of the men were sharing the bedroom, and the Venezuelan and I shared a mattress he found in the street that he placed in the living room,” Fonseca stated. “There was no privacy.” He paid $380 for a one-month keep, together with heating and web.
Fonseca spent the subsequent weeks on Facebook searching for an condo. On one event, he stated he met a person who launched himself as a landlord who knew individuals at Immigration Canada and who may assist him discover work beneath the desk.
“He told me that I needed to be open-minded for this arrangement … and propositioned sex in exchange for a place to live,” Fonseca stated.
Some asylum seekers, nevertheless, have been luckier than others within the seek for housing.
Maria Fernanda Lopez, 43, additionally from Colombia, stated her household had a better time discovering a house in Montreal in comparison with many different refugees they know. She stated her husband’s fluency in French helped.
The couple arrived in Quebec by means of Roxham Road on Dec. 21 with their two daughters, Alejandra Ortiz, 19, and Sarah Cortes, 9, and stayed at a lodge on Montreal’s South Shore till they have been capable of finding a two-bedroom condo in Montreal. They moved in on Feb. 3; their hire is $1,160 a month.
“The fact that my husband speaks the language has helped us incredibly and opened many doors since our arrival. But we still faced many difficulties.” Lopez stated.
She stated the household felt stress to search out housing as a result of they have been informed they may solely keep on the government-subsidized lodge for 3 months. Lopez stated she and her husband wished to keep away from staying in a shelter as a result of there was an opportunity their daughters wouldn’t be allowed to sleep in the identical room with them.
The couple and their younger daughter are getting $1,300 a month from the Quebec authorities; Ortiz receives $750.
“We were priced out of the majority of the places that we found,” Lopez stated. “One apartment we visited had no heating, but because of our situation, we considered it. We experienced a lot of discrimination while visiting multiple apartments.”
Lopez stated that when her husband would speak to the landlords or tenants over the cellphone, they have been very pleasant. But the second they might meet in particular person, their demeanours would change and they’d provide you with excuses for not renting them the condo.
“In one instance, the landlord told us outright that he did not rent to refugees,” Lopez stated.
Lopez stated her household discovered a spot as a result of they bonded with the tenant of the condo they might ultimately hire. The tenant is a instructor, like Lopez’s husband.
“As my husband told her about our journey, she decided to put in a good word for us (with the landlord) even though she had about 40 visits to go,” Lopez stated.
“We were incredibly grateful; we got the apartment — but I think we are the exception. At the hotel, many people could not even eat because of the anxiety they felt having to find a place to live.”
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