The Housing Experiences of Syrian Refugee Youth in the United States

ABSTRACT

Using qualitative interviews, this paper explores the early housing and neighborhood experiences of Syrian refugee youth in St. Louis. The analysis shows how the respondents and their families ended up in poor quality housing in high poverty neighborhoods which had a profound impact on their sense of safety and interactions with their environments. Families who managed to move to better neighborhoods received support from former refugees or non-refugee volunteers. The findings raise important questions for future research and outline implications for policymakers interested in attracting and maintaining refugees in post-industrial cities like St. Louis.

Keywords:

• Refugee youth
• housing
• neighborhood acculturation
• well-being

Acknowledgments

I would like to thank the youth who generously agreed to participate in this study. Their experiences are a constant reminder that despite the labels social scientists devise for them, they are also just young people trying to find their place in this world.

Conflict of interest statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes

1 The Moving to Opportunity (MTO) demonstration was a randomized housing mobility experiment that was implemented in Chicago, Baltimore, Boston, Los Angeles and New York. Families living in high-poverty public housing projects were given vouchers to help them move to private housing units in lower-poverty neighborhoods. An “experimental” group was offered vouchers valid only in a low-poverty neighborhood, a “Section 8” group was offered transitional housing vouchers without geographic restriction, and a control group was not offered vouchers.

Additional information

Funding

This research was supported by a University of Missouri Research Board Grant and a University of Missouri, St. Louis International Studies Program Fellowship.