This chapter explores the linkages between immigration, housing, and health using the Canadian experience to illustrate these linkages. It first briefly summarizes immigration to Canada before summarizing the immigrant health, the healthy immigrant effect, and the housing and health literatures. Throughout the review, refugees and asylees are highlighted given their greater vulnerability relative to other immigrant arrivals who can draw upon financial resources or family and social networks to support their housing. Refugees and asylees, on the other hand, experience poorer health, poorer health outcomes and poorer housing opportunities given their experiences as a refugee along with weaker economic and social connections. The nexus of the immigration, housing and health literature finds that the housing situation impacts both physical and psychological health. Moreover, it is not a uni-directional relationship: poor housing is reflective of poor health status and poor health status often results in poor housing. Poor housing is also associated with food insecurity, which is more common among low-income households with children and those that are dependent on social welfare programs as a source of income. In summarizing the linkages between housing and health, refugees and asylees are ultimately more likely to experience poor housing outcomes that further exacerbate poor health. The chapter concludes by suggesting prospective research areas that researchers can pursue.
