"It was easy to look for a place, but hard to actually get one": University students' experiences of racial discrimination in off-campus housing

Abstract

This study examines university student perceptions of and experiences with racial discrimination in off-campus housing in Ontario’s Niagara Region. Using a qualitative methodology informed by critical race theory, the study draws upon semi-structured, qualitative interviews conducted with 14 Brock University students to gain insight into racial discrimination in the context of the search for and life in off-campus housing. Participants discussed the wider context of off-campus housing in the region, including certain difficulties related to student inexperience in the off-campus housing market, age, and gender. Along with uncovering these other challenges faced by students, the thesis documents and analyses accounts of the impact of racialized identities and racism at different stages of the student off-campus housing search and subsequent residency. By documenting and analyzing these perceptions and experiences, this study seeks to contribute to wider efforts to expose and challenge racial discrimination.