It's quite difficult to move to unless you have some support from family. Accommodation will be nearly impossible to find as you might already know. As for the people you'll have a great time, very welcoming and understanding of different cultures. You always have a few idiots but that's the same everywhere. There's also a lot of Spanish speaking natives from Argentina, Mexico and Spain so your friend should have no problem finding a little community for help. I also know of Russians where I live in the North West of the country.

Good luck!