National Review Panel Submission

Many women experiencing homelessness do not appear in traditional statistics. These women often engage in survival strategies to avoid visible homelessness, such as exchanging sex for shelter, staying in abusive or exploitative relationships, couch surfing, sleeping in cars, or using hostels. As a result, current data, programs, and policies do not fully capture the gendered dimensions of homelessness.

To address this gap, the Women’s Centre of Calgary is currently leading the Unaddressed project—a large-scale, systems-change initiative funded by the Calgary Foundation, developed in partnership with Inn from the Cold, YW Calgary, Vibrant Communities Calgary, Miskanawah, and the Women’s National Housing and Homelessness Network. This multi-year project aims to improve community safety, housing stability, and address hidden homelessness through a gender-equity lens, with the goal of developing policy and systems-level solutions that will more adequately meet these needs.

Click here to read the full Unaddressed project Steering Committee’s joint submission to the National Housing Council’s Review Panel on the right to safe, adequate and affordable housing for women, Two Spirit, Trans, and gender-diverse people, and the government’s duty to uphold this right (Neha).

 Written by Gabrielle Comtois, Team Lead, Work for Change