Violence from intimate partners is a serious reality for a number of Canadian women. For some abused women, leaving becomes a path to homelessness. In fact, when abused women and their children leave their homes because of partner abuse they become homeless even if they subsequently seek residence in a shelter for woman abuse. While emergency and second stage shelters for violence against women are essential services that can assist women to prevent becoming homeless, they are short-term solutions that are under the same constraints as other organizations when assisting women to find safe and affordable housing out in the community. Abused women and their children can slip through the cracks, sinking into a life of poverty, unsafe housing and/or becoming homeless for extended periods. This project first reviewed best practices to safely house abused and homeless women, assessing what models of emergency and second stage shelters best address women‘s housing and what models and or strategies might better assist women who are at high risk to becoming homeless to access safe, affordable and permanent housing. Secondly, 62 women from across Canada were interviewed. These women had been abused by partners and homeless at some point. The women were asked for their perspectives on what they felt was needed to more adequately provide housing for themselves and their children. The project recommendations stem from both the environmental scan and the women‘s narratives. Eight recommendations regarding how best to care for the abused women and children were made.

Summary Credit:
Homelessness-Related Research Capacities in Alberta: A Comprehensive Environmental Scan, prepared by Dr. Katharina Kovacs Burns, MSc, MHSA, PhD and Dr. Solina Richter, PhD, RN for The Alberta Homelessness Research Consortium (2010)