Homes for Women / Toits pour elles a compilation of Recommendations to address women’s homelessness in Canada from Research Reports Available in electronic format on homesforwomen ca “News and Events” Table of Contents



Download 166.22 Kb.
Page1/11
Date28.07.2017
Size166.22 Kb.
#23961
  1   2   3   4   5   6   7   8   9   10   11




Homes for Women / Toits pour elles
A Compilation of Recommendations

to address women’s homelessness in Canada

from Research Reports


Available in electronic format on homesforwomen.ca “News and Events”

Table of Contents





1. Women’s Economic Security 6

Earning a living wage 6

Additionally, advocates recommend that labour protections and benefits extend equally to all workers, including temporary workers. [Better Off in a Shelter?...] 6

Income support & social assistance 7

Child care 8

Implement poverty action plans 9

Establish right to adequate standard of living 9

2. Housing Access & Affordability 10

Improve access to affordable housing 10

Increase stock of affordable housing 11

Implement a national housing strategy 12

Provide a continuum of options – shelter, transitional and permanent supportive housing 13

Protect Tenants 15

Recognize and implement right to housing 16

3. Systemic Discrimination & Inclusion 17

Address Residential School and Colonial Legacies 17

Inclusion in policies and policy development 18

4. Supporting Young Women 19

Framing and funding action 19

Supportive, safe, gendered housing 20

Offer a range of services, supports and programs 21

Young women and the sex trade 21

Preventing young women’s homelessness 22



5. Child welfare & homelessness 22

First Nation, Métis and Inuit women and child welfare 22

Remove barriers to Aboriginal mothers and families that cause unnecessary suffering and delays in reunification with their children. [Gender Matters] 22

Develop strategies, in collaboration with Aboriginal stakeholders, to minimize the impact of imprisonment of parents on Aboriginal children in care. [Gender Matters] 22

Ensure effective gender-disaggregated information gathering to monitor policies and practices that impact on Aboriginal youth, in the child welfare system, and remanded or sentenced to youth custody. [Gender Matters] 22

Young women and child welfare 23



6. Prisons & Criminalization 23

Reduce criminalization and incarceration 23

Diversion and prevention programs 24

7. Mental Health & Addiction 24

Supported housing and services 24

Detoxification and addiction recovery programs 25

8. Abuse, Trauma & Violence 26

Housing access & options 26

Expand services 27

9. Accessing Services 27

Health & health care 27

Family shelters should offer psychological evaluation and counselling to parents and children who have experienced homelessness. [Better Off in a Shelter?...] 27

Non-status persons should have access to all health, crisis, and other services without fear of being reported to immigration authorities. [Better Off in a Shelter?...] 28

Social & community services 28

Front-line services are the key delivery mechanism for a wide variety of critical interventions for at-risk people. If interventions are to be effective, front-line services must be adequately and appropriately funded and supported. This holds true regardless of the mode of delivery – nonprofit voluntary agency or government agency. [You Just Blink...] 28

In order to improve the quality and relevance of services, family shelters should offer direct housing search and accompaniment services, provide follow-up for at least one year while families re-establish housing in the community, host onsite follow-up programs and create a mentorship network where mothers now back in housing support those still living in shelters. [Better Off in a Shelter?...] 29

Service Provider Staff Training 30



10. Research 31

Public policy 31

Longitudinal studies 32

Physical and mental health 32

Project evaluation & assessment 32

Housing conditions 33

Rural women 33

11. Public Awareness & Advocacy 33




1. Women’s Economic Security


Policies that address the structural basis of poverty are necessary to prevent homelessness... Conventional policy sectors must be transcended to develop policies that will provide a combination of housing, financial and social support… Any broad primary prevention programs that would alleviate poverty and improve housing affordability, employment insurance eligibility, employment opportunities for youth, antiviolence programs and support service for victims, and developmental support for youth and families with children are highly desirable. These programs would undoubtedly reduce the number of young women at risk of homelessness and assist those who become homeless. [On Her Own]


Earning a living wage


Raise minimum wage to generate income at or above poverty line/Livable wage policy

Raise minimum wages to provide an annual income at least equal to the poverty line. [Voices]

A livable wage policy would assist women in being self-supporting and would be cost efficient in terms of reducing the need for social assistance. To reduce the poverty of the “working poor”, employers should be required to provide benefits for all employees. Funds for rent and food would not need to be diverted for other essentials such as dental work and prescription medicines. [You Just Blink...]

Income increases through measures such as increasing social assistance rates and minimum wages that reflect the cost of living − are necessary to prevent homelessness. [Better Off in a Shelter?...]



Remove barriers to employment for homeless women

Federal, Provincial, and Municipal governments should work with the private sector to remove barriers and increase opportunities so that visible and hidden homeless women can achieve economic self-sufficiency and security for themselves and their children. [Common Occurrence]

The Department of Community Services [Nova Scotia] should encourage newcomers who are on income assistance to access training and work programs and acquire Canadian work experience without these actions negatively affecting newcomers’ incomes. [Testing an Integrated…]

Additionally, advocates recommend that labour protections and benefits extend equally to all workers, including temporary workers. [Better Off in a Shelter?...]

Many non-status women in this study said that they required access to a non-profit agency that could provide information on labour rights, training, and employment opportunities. [Better Off in a Shelter?...]

Existing programs to encourage employers to hire immigrants so the immigrants can acquire Canadian work experience need to be expanded and adequately funded. [Testing an Integrated…]


Increase access to educational programs

  • Women need literacy programs, adult basic education, pre-employment skills and life skills training services. Workplace diversity programs need to be developed and where existing, reinforced and publicized. Options for training such as job shadowing need to be made available. In the Territories, where skilled trades people are in great demand, trades training and training in non-traditional occupations would provide women with a sustainable occupation and fill a need in Northern communities. [You Just Blink...]

  • Provide access to adequate income for parents pursuing education and training. [Better Off in a Shelter?...]

  • …to assure that all newcomers have equal opportunity to an adequate standard of living and opportunities for upward mobility…the Federal Government should pay tuition fees and living allowances for newcomers. [Testing an Integrated…]

  • ESL programs for refugee claimants are needed. [Testing an Integrated…]

  • Access to childcare for part-time students who are mothers with small children to attend ESL classes. [Testing an Integrated…]

  • More funding for ESL schools to address the waiting list to enrol in classes. [Testing an Integrated…]

  • Financial support to help newcomers attend language training. [Testing an Integrated…]





Download 166.22 Kb.

Share with your friends:
  1   2   3   4   5   6   7   8   9   10   11




The database is protected by copyright ©ua.originaldll.com 2024
send message

    Main page