Housing: "discriminatory practices, harder to challenge"
Jean Numa Goudou ·
A sample of 10 people, aged between 25 and 65, across Quebec (Montreal, Gatineau, Sherbrooke) with diverse profiles (students, seniors, families) was surveyed.
In addition to a lack of awareness of tenant rights, "housing discrimination is not limited to explicit refusal," but rather "it unfolds before, during, and after access to housing." This is among the findings of a report by the Observatoire des communautés noires «L'expérience des personnes noires face à la crise du logement au Québec», under the direction of Patrick Minko.
"It can be direct or indirect, visible or diffuse, isolated or cumulative. It exists within a housing crisis context that amplifies imbalances and makes discriminatory practices harder to challenge," state the researchers who examined the subject by tracking and listening to the experiences of a sample of 10 individuals across Québec (Montréal, Gatineau, Sherbrooke).
The profiles are highly diverse (students, elderly people, families), as are the ages, ranging from 25 to 65 years old. The findings are damning, ranging from unanswered inquiries to eviction threats or undue pressure to vacate a unit.
During the presentation of the report at the annual assembly of the Sommet afro, Patrick Minko recounted the experience of a student originally from Madagascar with a long name, as is common in that country. He had to shorten his name to its simplest form before he was finally granted an appointment for a viewing.
"Students were losing faith in Canada. They felt that as a first experience, it was not a success," noted Mr. Minko, who calls on people to "build solidarity within Black communities, to share information and data" among themselves in order to lessen the impact of this discrimination.
"A tension emerges at the heart of the issue. On one side, the right to housing is recognized within legal frameworks and institutional discourse, and appeal mechanisms exist in principle to protect tenants against discrimination. On the other, the testimonies collected reveal the persistence, and sometimes the reconfiguration, of discriminatory practices within a crisis context," write the researchers in this 87-page report.
The SHCN Steps In
"These reports are the documented, lived proof that the Angélique-Latimer complex needed to exist," remarked Neil Armand, co-founder of the Société d'habitation des communautés noires (SHCN), which simultaneously launched the construction of 281 apartments in Saint-Michel on July 10th.
In total, 73.9% of the units (4.5-room apartments) will be dedicated to families. "The Ecosystem is beginning to mobilize to correct a situation that should never have existed," he added.
-
39.6% of Black residents are homeowners compared to 66.6% for others — a gap of 27%
-
Black residents pay $1,342 for housing versus $1,176 for others.
Black residents pay more for smaller units in worse condition. "Skin colour is at the root of this disparity," denounced Neil Armand.
"We must not leave the data sitting in reports — we must pour it into concrete." — Neil Armand.
In addition to the project launched in Saint-Michel, the SHCN is working on another development of 120 housing units, this time in Montréal-Nord — one of Canada's poorest neighbourhoods and home to a large immigrant population.
The Observatoire's report includes a "RESOURCE GUIDE" on the housing crisis, a justice group, and presents an overview of the current situation along with links to various resources, among other things.