Basements and bedbugs: Recent immigrants struggle to access decent housing in Manitoba

As soon as Femi and Omolara Aloba got approval to move to Canada from Nigeria, they started searching online for a place in Winnipeg where they, their two-year-old son and their soon-to-be-born baby could live. 

The Alobas had enough savings to cover their rent for a year in Canada, but soon realized just having money to pay for rent wasn't enough.

Landlords wanted Canadian credit history, Canadian pay stubs, and Canadian work experience —  or, in place of those things, a guarantor in Canada. 

The Alobas — who had never visited Canada, much less rented or worked here, and knew no one in Manitoba before they arrived in early 2020 — said every landlord they contacted told them they simply didn't qualify to rent. 

"We were just so confused," said Omolara Aloba, then six months pregnant.

"It was a period where I practically had sleepless nights, like, 'OK, so where are we going to stay?'" she said.

The couple's experience is common for new immigrants to Manitoba, according to settlement experts. Despite having the means to pay, many struggle to access the kind of rental accommodations they want in Manitoba, unless they can find a Canadian guarantor with good credit. 

"It's definitely an issue for anyone new to the country," said Codi Guenther, executive director of New Journey Housing, which focuses on newcomer housing needs in Winnipeg.

"Whether they came as a refugee, whether they came as a provincial nominee, international student — anyone who doesn't have a credit report, it does make it tricky."

The Alobas said they had resigned themselves to booking an Airbnb, but were eventually saved by a family friend.

That person hosted them for two weeks when they arrived in Manitoba and helped them find an apartment by acting as their guarantor. 

International student recruiter George Coleman knows first-hand how the requirements affect people coming to Manitoba to study. 

Coleman, the director of Egroeg Training and Employment Facilitation Services, said the inability to access what he calls the formal rental market drives many students to places they would rather not live. 

"I found that in a number of cases, students have to be — I use the words 'stepping-down' from their standards," he said.