Across Canada, many women, girls, and gender-diverse people live in insecure or unsafe housing – or are made homeless – due to policy choices. Women and gender-diverse people disproportionately live in core housing need, often heading single-parent households and shouldering the responsibility of childcare, putting them at heightened risk of eviction when forced to choose between paying rent and providing food for their families. For those who do become homeless, the situation is dire. 

Meanwhile, emergency shelters – including co-ed shelters, gender-specific shelters, and shelters for women fleeing violence – are frequently overwhelmed and operating beyond their capacity due to chronic underfunding coupled with a deepening housing need across the country. Certain policies, rules, and practices in emergency shelters also create challenges and exclusions which can lead to people being turned away, separated from their children, or unable to access support.

This is why, the Canadian Centre for Housing Rights, National Right to Housing Network, and the Women’s National Housing and Homelessness Network have released Human Rights-Based, Gender-Sensitive National Standards for Emergency Shelters across Canada aimed at identifying what shelters in Canada could look like if they took a rights-based and gender-sensitive approach. Our goal is two-fold: 1) To provide a framework that transforms emergency shelter service delivery for women and gender-diverse people, and 2) To highlight the essential funding, resources and supports emergency shelters across Canada require from governmental bodies.

These Shelter Standards are grounded in a comprehensive framework that merges international human rights principles with a gender-sensitive approach. By drawing from international treaties, human rights frameworks, and best practices, the standards aim to set a high bar for emergency shelter operations while remaining sensitive to the unique needs of diverse gender identities and expressions. 

The Standards will also double as a submission to the upcoming review panel on Canada’s failure to eliminate homelessness amongst women and gender-diverse people.