Student from Nigeria says she has been denied Moncton apartments because of 4 children

An international student trying to move to Moncton says she's being discriminated against because she has children.

Obianuju Okwuogu has been looking for an apartment in Moncton for her family since April so she can attend Crandall University in person.

But when she's asked how many people would stay in the apartment, and says she hasfourdaughters between two and nine, she's turned away.

"I keep searching and everyday I keep getting disappointed," said the graduatestudent.

Okwuogustarted online classes at Crandall University in January. She moved to Canada from Nigeria with two of her four children and has been staying with her sister in Edmonton while she looks for a place in Moncton.Her husband is still in Nigeria with their other two daughters.

I want to live in Moncton, but I need a place to live.- Obianuju Okwuogu

In her search for a Moncton home, she's focused on apartments with two or three bedrooms, and she has already dealt with about 20 different landlords.

Okwuogusaid she sees listings online and contacts landlords by email and by phone.

They respond and ask how many family members she has, whether she has children and their ages.

After telling them about her four children, she often doesn't hear back. And if she does, it's to hear that no apartments are available.

"They would just say, 'Sorry we don't have anything for you,'" she said from her sister's home in Edmonton.

She said one landlord told herit would be easier if she only had two children, and they needed to be older.

"She thought she was being helpful, but it was pretty offensive," she said.

'I felt like I was being rejected'

Another landlord said her children would disrupt the neighbours and referred her to an apartment too small to fit the six family members.

"I started realizing at that point it wasn't about the space. It wasn't about the size. It was just because they were children, and they were young and they thought they would be an inconvenience to the neighbours. "

Okwuogu has also looked at duplexes in Moncton. One landlord worried about her paying rent because she was a student and said Okwuoguwoud have to pay six months rent up front.

She also told this landlord about her four children, and then she was told that wouldn't work.

"I was heartbroken," she said.

• Rental rates free to soar in New Brunswick as vacancy rates decrease

"I felt like I was being rejected because I had children. I felt like I was being told that my child was an inconvenience. I feel like I'm being told I should not have had my children, and that's really depressing."

She said it's also aviolation of human rights, and government officials need to do more to prevent this from happening.

"Children are human beings too," said Okwuogu, who is considering filing a complaint with provincial officials.

She said some people have suggested moving into a house away from any neighbours. Others have suggested lying about the number of children she has.

"That goes against everything I believe in," she said. "I will not lie. Especially not about my children."

CBC News has contactedtheNew Brunswick ApartmentOwnersAssociation and is waiting for a response.

A violation of human rights

Claire Roussel-Sullivan,chair of the New Brunswick Human Rights Commission, said housingis a human right under the New Brunswick Human Rights Act.

This meanslandlords are prohibited from discriminating against people who have children.

"Every person has a right to enjoy safe, secure housing and to live in a community with dignity, inclusion and self-respect."

While she said it's reasonable to understand how many family members will be in a home, to knowthespace required, a landlordcannot refuse a tenant based on the number or the ages of children they have.

In 2019-20, the commission received 25complaints related to housing but not necessarily about refusals to rent to people with children. In 2020-21, housingcomplaints more than doubled, to60.

"There's an obvious trend here," she said.

Roussel-Sullivan said it's important for tenants to be aware of their rights and for landlords and property owners to be aware of theHumanRights Act, what is discrimination and how to accommodate people with families.

If someone feels they're being discriminated against, she urges them to contact the commission.

She said there can be a number of different consequences if a landlord is being discriminatory, including mediation between both parties and a settlement.

"I think in most cases, landlords and property owners are willing to learn and better understand what their responsibilities are," she said.

AlthoughOkwuoguwas hoping to be able tolive in Monctonafter university and raise her family in there, butnowshedoesn't know if she will move there after all.

"I want to live in Moncton, but I need a place to live."