Immigrants do not earn enough to even afford housing

Discussion in 'Immigration' started by Anders Hoveland, May 11, 2012.

  1. Anders Hoveland

    Anders Hoveland Banned

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    I found this article, I think it brings up an important issue. Most of the low paying service jobs available for immigrants are in the more populated cities, which have a high cost of living. While this article is about Canada, I think this issue applies to most of the other developed countries in the same way. The issue is that immigrants barely even earn enough money to take care of themselves adequately. And when they do not have the means to adequately take care of themselves, then apparently the government has to help provide them with what they themselves are unable to afford. Note how this article suggests the immigrants need help with housing. Not that there is anything necessarily wrong with this, but it does discount the notion that immigrants are able to make a net contribution to the economy.


    "Canada housing unaffordable for immigrants"
    by Florence Gibbs, March 16, 2012

    Immigrants coming to Canada face several hardships while finding housing here. And high costs of housing are one of the major deterrents for immigrants wanting to live in Canada. This has been revealed by findings of a latest study undertaken by UBC. Finding houses in Canada is really difficult for immigrants, states professor of geography at UBC, Daniel Hiebert.

    Housing in Canada a critical issue for immigrants — And things become complicated even more for immigrants facing language barriers or those with big families, adds Hiebert. No wonder, majority of immigrants including refugees in Canada spent half of their earnings on housing, findings of the study involving 600 immigrants in Montreal, Vancouver and Toronto show. Low income makes housing unaffordable in Canada — The study analyzed that average income of immigrants forming part of the recent UBC survey was below $20,000 while average income in cities was around $69,000. And average prices of houses in Vancouver are nothing less than one million dollars.

    As a result, majority of immigrants as well as Canadians falling in the low-income group have no option but to move into a rented accommodation, the research clarified. This also made immigrants vulnerable to unscrupulous landlords in Canada, the report further maintained. Agrees director of Settlement Services for MOSAIC (Vancouver), Sherman Chan. Housing problems for immigrants — Many landlords in Canada are taking advantage of lack of knowledge of immigrants by charging high rents for houses with poor living conditions. Rooms don’t have proper lighting and sanitary conditions are also worse, Chan adds.

    With a major proportion of income spent on housing, immigrants have to cut back their expenses on food, education or other costs, he states. And immigrants choosing to shift eastwards for getting cheaper accommodation on rent, they have to shell out bucks on moving to and fro for their jobs in Vancouver.

    Canada needs immigrant settlement schemes — Lack of proper housing or homelessness is proving a major hindrance for immigrants wanting to get settled in Canada. And Canada must work towards solving this issue by creating schemes for assisting immigrants in getting affordable housing, states Hiebert.
     
    waltky and (deleted member) like this.
  2. Viv

    Viv Banned by Request

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    Oh it's another racist thread by Hoveland. I'm going to start counting them in my sig line. Numero uno (that's a non-English language there, as I know you appreciate foreign languages)

    No, it doesn't discount the notion that immigrants make a net contribution to the economy, but you discount the small but important fact that everyone in Canada and US is an immigrant or immigrant-derived and they constructed the entire economy via a system you choose to completely rubbish by suggesting continually that immigrants are worthless.

    I don't know about Canadian immigration law, but most countries don't allow immigration unless the immigrant has a proven contribution to make and can prove financial independence.

    Is Hoveland an English name, btw? Do you think your type should go back wherever you came from...
     
  3. Anders Hoveland

    Anders Hoveland Banned

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    No, no, I am genuinely concerned about all these poor migrants that cannot find a place to live, and have to settle with substandard apartments in overcrowded living conditions. It is so unfortunate that things are so bad in the countries these people came from that they would rather live the pitiful way they do in our countries. Apparently our countries do not really have a place for all these people; neither affordable housing nor decent paying jobs.

    And do not forget all their misfortunate children that are born into a strange land. We need to help educate them too, because their parents cannot afford to send them to university.
     
  4. waltky

    waltky Well-Known Member

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    Obama takin' Congress to task over housing market...

    Obama Criticizes Congress on Housing Market
    September 29, 2012 - U.S. President Barack Obama has called out the Congress, especially Republicans, for not acting on proposals aimed at saving homeowners thousands of dollars.
     
  5. waltky

    waltky Well-Known Member

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    Housing industry still strugglin'...

    2008-2012: Housing markets still struggles
    Oct. 22 (UPI) -- A five-point glance at the U.S. housing market shows more communities worse off now than four years ago, online foreclosure marketplace RealtyTrac said Monday.
     
  6. waltky

    waltky Well-Known Member

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    Banks holdin' back housing market recovery...
    :omg:
    Bernanke blames banks for holding back housing market
    15 November 2012 - Mr Bernanke gave no hints about future Fed policy
     
  7. waltky

    waltky Well-Known Member

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    Granny says it gonna be harder fer `em to get FHA insurance `cause the gov't. program losin' money...
    :grandma:
    Government’s Home Loan Insurance Agency $16.3 Billion in the Red
    November 20, 2012 – An independent audit of the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) shows that the government’s home loan insurance agency will end fiscal year 2012 $16.3 billion in the red after taking an estimated $46.6 billion loss.
     
  8. Albert Di Salvo

    Albert Di Salvo New Member

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    In California most latinos live in poverty. They can't afford the cost of living. They work so hard that they don't have time to raise their children to be good people. That's how the gangs get hold of the kids. The boys become gangsters and the girls become putas. Then the kids grow up themselves, have kids, and raise a new generation of gangsters and putas.
     
  9. Albert Di Salvo

    Albert Di Salvo New Member

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    Someone on this thread called the author of the OP a racist. The mods go berserk when that happens. I did that once and got an immediate infraction from Mak. Same thing will probably happen in this case.
     
  10. waltky

    waltky Well-Known Member

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    Housing market still strugglin'...
    :hmm:
    US Home Sales Fell in December
    January 22, 2013 - U.S. home sales declined in December, but were still well above the same period one year ago.
     
  11. tkolter

    tkolter Well-Known Member

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    Affordable housing rented or otherwise is an issue for the poor. Lets say your household earns with two adults and a child $30,000 according to classic views they should spend at most 30% on housing costs that is $9000 a year. Okay find homes that you can save up 20% and lease for that amount and including other costs like insurance?

    Renting is just as hard for many people if you get say $10,000 a year you can afford if you don't drive and use mass transit maybe $4000 a year for housing that is $320 a month around including utilities - good luck.

    What we need is cheaper housing smaller houses like in the 1950's, small mini-apartments aka dorm sized and the like for people to get on a low income that is not subsidized but actually housing and rentals they can with pride afford to get.

    But we don't bother with the need and leave a lot of people out of home ownership and rentable places to live.
     
  12. waltky

    waltky Well-Known Member

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    tkolter:

    The 235 program of the 70's was designed to do just what you suggest...

    ... however it was ended when the bankers and real estate industry figured out how to 'game' it...

    ... and caused the Savings and Loan scandal.

    Sound familiar?

    Give it another 20 years and we'll be going through another financial crisis...

    ... based on the banking and real estate industries...

    ... since nobody of any significance has gone to jail...

    ... for the most recent financial crisis.
    :bleh:
     
  13. Anders Hoveland

    Anders Hoveland Banned

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    The problem is not so much the buildings, but housing space, and the fact that most of the job opportunity is concentrated in a limited number of urban areas.

    The reason low-wage jobs are available to immigrants in overcrowded cities is because all the other people who would otherwise be doing these jobs fled the area because housing became so expensive.
     
  14. kazenatsu

    kazenatsu Well-Known Member Past Donor

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