Unsheltered lives, unmet needs

The complexity of homelessness, particularly for women who are unhoused, became blatantly evident to me during my time volunteering as a researcher at the Compass Food Bank and Outreach Centre in Ontario, Canada. This organization provides critical support in an area where wealth and poverty exist side by side. While the affluent parts of the community are visible, there are pockets of poverty that often remain hidden, creating a challenge for services aimed at helping those in need.

This situation emphasizes the complexities of addressing homelessness and poverty, particularly among women who may face a different set of vulnerabilities then men. During my time at the Centre, one duty I had was in the food bank’s shopping area for people in need. One day I was paired with a woman to be her assigned shopping assistant. We moved through the aisles, selecting items and discussing meal ideas. While we were chatting, she shared that she couldn’t take perishable items. I couldn’t understand why, as I had simply assumed she had a home. Then she told me she’d recently left her last apartment after enduring escalating harassment and had no permanent home. She’d been unable to afford another place to live. Each time she tried to secure temporary shelter, she was subjected to unsolicited male attention. Whether it was inappropriate comments from men at shelters, unwanted sexual advances, or being followed on the street, she was constantly in fear.