4.3 Making the invisible visible: Canadian women, homelessness and health outside the "big city"

Popular conceptions of homelessness focus on the “visibly homeless” − those in emergency hostels and shelters and those who sleep rough. Yet many women and men face “hidden homelessness.” Research and interventions also tend to focus on the homeless in large cities, and overlook those in smaller centres or rural areas. This study investigates the experiences of homeless women in Toronto, Oshawa, Kingston, and Haliburton. The researcher learned how these women survive in the interstices of spatial and policy invisibility, many in areas where social isolation, low-quality social services, and weak public transit infrastructure create barriers to seeking help.

Download chapter as an ePub file

For free ePub software, return to the Table of Contents page.

 
Author(s): 
Editor(s): 
Hulchanski, J. David
Campsie, Philippa
Chau, Shirley B.Y.
Hwang, Stephen H.
Paradis, Emily
Publication Date: 
2010
Publisher(s): 
Canadian Observatory on Homelessness