Homes for Women / Toits pour elles a compilation of Recommendations to address women’s homelessness in Canada from Research Reports Available in electronic format on homesforwomen ca “News and Events” Table of Contents
Inclusion in policies and policy development
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- 4. Supporting Young Women
- Supportive, safe, gendered housing
Inclusion in policies and policy developmentApply a cultural and gender analysis to housing authority policies to ensure human rights obligations and the needs of homeless women are met in a way that is measurable and makes the agencies accountable. [You Just Blink...] …Applying a cultural and gender analysis to housing policies at both levels of government is a significant step toward identifying and removing barriers that contribute to women’s homelessness in the North, particularly as they affect Aboriginal women. Programs and services aimed at meeting the needs of women who are homeless, at risk of becoming homeless or living in violence need to be accountable with respect to measuring service impact and effectiveness. [You Just Blink...] Inuit women’s organizations should be included as active partners at all levels of the policy making process, including local housing associations. [Barriers] Federal, Provincial, Aboriginal and municipal governments should undertake gender-based analysis of Aboriginal housing concerns that is culturally relevant and developed with the participation of Aboriginal women. [UN-ECOSOC] Aboriginal women must have effective participation in decision-making - at all levels, and Aboriginal women with disabilities. For example, equitable representation of all Aboriginal women in modern day treaty negotiations and agreements could ensure that shelter and housing needs of Aboriginal women are adequately considered. [UN-ECOSOC] Inclusion of Aboriginal women in decision making in regards to policies and strategies that will affect the individual and collective rights of Aboriginal Peoples. [Gender Matters] Shelters and services should work to designate board and other positions for people with lived experience of homelessness. [Better Off in a Shelter?...] Shelters and services should work to develop mechanisms for service user input into development of policies, programs, and practices. [Better Off in a Shelter?...] Inclusion policies should be mandatory for all agencies providing social, housing and health services. [Testing an Integrated…] The YWCA and other homeless serving agencies should look at developing ways for formerly homeless women to get involved and participate in programming and service development. Examples could be mentorship, peer-support, and advisory committees. [A Place to Rest] Participatory budgeting including “poor and homeless individuals” All levels of government should develop participatory budgeting processes that include participation of poor and homeless individuals, and groups dealing with poverty and homelessness. Participants should have the power to make decisions on budgetary matters, including the allocation of funds for affordable housing and income support programs. [Voices] 4. Supporting Young WomenFraming and funding actionViolence and equality Reframe girl homelessness from “running away” or being a child welfare issue to a feminist issue in which girls are experiencing violence and oppression and thus in need of a feminist response to violence. [Bricks and Mortar] Girl homelessness must first be understood and responded to as the product of social inequality and violence in the lives of girls and their mothers. Any response to girl homelessness must address sexual abuse, colonization and poverty. [Bricks and Mortar] Canada must provide supports such as girl-only transitional housing to girls who are escaping violence and/or who are homeless. Given that male violence is pervasive in the lives of teenage girls who are homeless, and that it is often the reason for their homelessness, we believe that services similar to those available to adult women who are escaping violence need to be created for teenage girls. Girls’ transition houses must be modeled after transition houses for adult women and be created specifically for girls who are on their own. [Bricks and Mortar] Anti-homelessness initiatives for girls must stem from women’s equality ministries and Status of Women Canada, and from provincial ministries that fund transition houses (not from child welfare ministries). [Bricks and Mortar] The Canadian government must specifically uphold the inherent rights of Aboriginal girls and make every effort to remedy the consequences of colonization. In so doing, the Canadian government must engage the leadership of the Native Women’s Association of Canada, Pauktuutit and provincial/territorial Indigenous grassroots women’s groups. [Bricks and Mortar] Dedicate funding The ECOSOC Committee recommends that the State party give special attention to the difficulties faced by homeless girls, who are more vulnerable to health risks and social and economic deprivation, and that it take all necessary measure to provide them with adequate housing and social and health services. [UN-ECOSOC] Put 10% of federal money earmarked for anti-homelessness initiatives towards preventing girl homelessness.[Bricks and Mortar] The government of Canada and provincial governments must allocate specific funds towards ending girl homelessness. As per the recommendation of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women that governments should “give explicit attention to the girl child in budget processes at all levels, including allocation of resources,” funds must be specifically earmarked for tackling girl homelessness. Given that between 6–12% of the homeless in large cities across Canada are teenage girls, a minimum of 6% of federal funding for anti homelessness initiatives should be allocated to programs to end girl homelessness, including funding for both emergency transition housing and subsidized supported housing. [Bricks and Mortar] Supportive, safe, gendered housingCanada must revise youth policies and programs, both federal and provincial, to make them gender specific. Housing (transitional and long-term), anti-violence/advocacy centres, addictions treatment and detox programs and education and health services—that are specifically designed to meet the needs of girls—are critical in order to address current social inequalities and to meet Canada’s obligations to girls’ equality under Section 15 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms and the present Covenant. [Bricks and Mortar] Advocate for girls’ transition houses, rent subsidies and supports for homeless girls Canada-wide. [Bricks and Mortar] Housing alone is not sufficient to resolve homelessness among young women. Supportive environments, like girl- and women-only foster homes and supported living situations (for example subsidized female co-op suites and supported subsidized suites) are best suited for providing safe housing to girls who are on their own. [Bricks and Mortar] A new shelter for young women is needed that deals with their issues of poor self-esteem, sexuality and relationships, as well as coping with past abuse. There should be less emphasis on training and employment and more on therapeutic and counseling services to strengthen the women’s social connections. [On Her Own] To better meet young women’s safety needs, locks should be added to shelter doors. Violence-prevention efforts and counseling services are needed to deal with the trauma of violence, rape and sexual exploitation. Female-only programming would address this to some degree. Staff attitudes and a philosophy of service that respects the youth culture are critical. Elements that would make services more conducive to the needs of young women and youth generally include peer support, self-referral, young staff, night-time service seven days a week, confidentiality, client-centred programs and non-judgmental, flexible staff. Female-only times and more female staff would promote greater use of existing services by young women. [On Her Own] The vulnerability and victimization of young homeless women make the provision of safe and secure accommodation imperative. For example, gender-mixed rooming houses managed by a large non-profit organization have proven to be unsuitable for women who feel harassed, and often wind up leaving and returning to shelters. Some female-only shelter and housing options should be available. Shelters and transitional housing for “young” youth are needed. Service needs can vary greatly between that of 17 year olds and 23 year olds. Collective housing models for youth should be developed. [On Her Own] Longer-term interventions and a holistic approach to the needs of homeless young women are needed. This might be accomplished through transitional housing schemes that extend up to two or three years and incorporate a wide range of supports that assist individual development. [On Her Own]
Fund a multi-sectoral initiative administered by municipal governments to develop transitional and supportive housing for youth, with matched or integrated funding sources for capital building and operating costs, and with ongoing funding for support services, administration and program evaluation. Develop a range of transitional and supportive housing options for homeless youth, including female-only projects, with varying levels and types of support services. This initiative should encourage self-build housing schemes for youth, including female-only projects. [On Her Own] Directory: data -> documents data -> 1997 Atlantic Tropical Storms data -> Introduction data -> The Impact of Saharan dust aerosols on tropical cyclones using wrf-chem: Model framework and satellite data constraint technique data -> Earth-Atmosphere Interactions: Tropical Storm and Hurricane Activity in the Caribbean and Consequent Health Impacts data -> Meeting Of September 16, 2010 today’s meeting documents -> The bi-weekly torture documents -> Aaslh convention, Roger Kennedy Remarks, III, #1, p. 70 Abbot, Major Edward (photo) III, #2 documents -> Guitariste – chanteur arrangements musicaux complets documents -> Aaslh convention, Roger Kennedy Remarks, III, #1, p. 70 Abbot, Major Edward (photo) III, #2 documents -> Further Reading Heller, L. (2012) Download 166.22 Kb. Share with your friends:
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