Homeless Women

While people of all genders may face homelessness, Canadian women have increasingly been the subjects of studies and articles concerning the experiences of homeless females throughout the nation.

Homelessness is traditionally seen as something that men face (Lenon, 2000), however, families, young Canadians, and women are said to be accelerating their at-risk statuses concerning homelessness (Lenon, 2000). For example, in Montreal in 1996, 30-40% of the homeless population were women (Lenon, 2000).

 

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- Between 1997-1998, over 90,000 women and children fled to various shelters in Canada (Miller & Mont, 2000)
     - a substantial amount of women were fleeing abuse
     - approximately 60% of the women were mothers
     - However, statistics on homelessness have not included these women

- 57% of single-parent families with a female provider are living in poverty (Lenon, 2000)

- 19% of adult Canadian women are poor (Lenon, 2000)

-These statistics show that women are at risk of poverty, which may result in homelessness or a lack of access to housing (Lenon, 2000)