Women, Girls, and Gender-Diverse People

According to a study of Canadian homeless shelters, 29.7% of shelter users identified as female while 0.7% identified as a gender other than male or female. Despite being a minority in homelessness counts, women and gender-diverse people are underserved by the homelessness sector, where services have mainly been designed to address the needs of single, adult men. These numbers do not include domestic violence shelters, in which it is estimated about a quarter of all people experiencing homelessness are staying on a given night. When we include domestic violence shelters and unsheltered homelessness, the percentage of women experiencing homelessness rises to 36% and gender-diverse people to 2%.

Estimates of women’s homelessness in Canada are likely to be significantly undercounted because women are more likely to experience hidden homelessness. This means they are less likely to access homelessness services (due in part to the lack of gender-specific services) and more likely to rely on their relationships to avoid experiencing unsheltered homelessness. This often involves staying in precarious or unsafe situations, such as with an abusive partner.

Women and gender-diverse people at risk of eviction or who are living in illegal, overcrowded, or unsafe housing can be considered to be experiencing hidden homelessness. They often have few choices when looking to access safe, appropriate, and affordable housing. This is due to a variety of social, economic, and political issues that interfere with their ability to find housing, including poverty and gender-based violence.

Although the overall poverty rate in Canada was 7.4% in 2021, about 10% of women in Canada are poor. This rises to 28% for women with disabilities. This is due to a number of factors, but one is the gendered pay gap, in which women earn on average 11% less than men for similar work. Although this number has decreased with time, it is still a troubling reality that employers are able to access women’s labour at a discount, making them more likely to live in poverty.

Another factor in poverty for women is that they still perform a large majority of unpaid labour in families, including cleaning, cooking, and caring for children or other dependents. They spend on average 3.6 hours a day on unpaid labour, which is 50% more time than men. To accommodate this work (and because of the lack of affordable childcare options), women are more likely to work part-time or seasonally in jobs that lack stability, benefits, or pensions. In fact, 60% of precariously employed professionals are women.

Poverty, of course, makes it harder to secure adequate housing. Twenty-eight percent of women-headed families are in core housing need, meaning their housing is unsuitable for their needs and too expensive for their income. This puts those families at increased risk of homelessness.

Gender-based violence (also called domestic violence, intimate partner violence, and violence against women) is another major factor in women’s homelessness. As we noted above, about one quarter of shelter users on any given night are accessing domestic violence shelters. Almost all of the admissions to these shelters are of women and their accompanying children. The main reason for admission is abuse by a current or former partner which shows that violence is a major cause of women’s homelessness.

Tragically though, the lack of safe, affordable housing options means that about one in five women leaving a domestic violence shelter will return to an abusive household due to a lack of options and barriers to securing housing. As well, domestic violence shelters are often full and turn away those seeking support, leaving women with the choice between returning to a violent situation, seeking shelter with a friend or family member (hidden homelessness), or living on the street. Women experiencing unsheltered homelessness are at increased risk of further violence and exploitation.

Racialized women are even more likely to experience poverty, violence, and homelessness. For instance, Black women are twice as likely to be unemployed as white women and more than twice as likely to live in poverty. As well, Indigenous women face more discrimination from landlords when trying to secure housing and are over-represented among women experiencing homelessness. Racialized women experience an additional wage gap, earning on average 32% less than non-racialized women. Responses to women’s homelessness cannot be one-size-fits-all and instead require an intersectional lens that takes into account the way race and gender intersect.

Preventing homelessness among women and gender-diverse individuals requires a multifaceted approach that tackles the root causes of their housing instability. To start, addressing economic disparities through policies aimed at reducing the gender pay gap and ensuring access to stable, well-paying employment opportunities is crucial. Expanding affordable housing options and rent control measures, particularly within the context of domestic violence shelters, is essential to provide safe and supportive environments for those fleeing abuse. Comprehensive support systems, including mental health services, addiction treatment, and trauma-informed care, should be readily accessible to address the unique needs of this population. Additionally, investing in affordable childcare options can enable women to work full-time jobs, reducing their vulnerability to poverty and homelessness. Cultural sensitivity and anti-discrimination measures must be incorporated into housing programs to better serve racialized women and gender-diverse individuals who face additional barriers. Ultimately, a holistic, intersectional approach that considers gender, race, and socio-economic factors is essential in preventing homelessness among women and gender-diverse people.

For more information about how women, girls, and gender-diverse people are impacted by homelessness, see our free training on the Homelessness Learning Hub.