Khulud Baig, WNHHN’s Executive Director of Policy & Engagement, attended a National Housing Strategy consultation with Canada’s Minister of Housing earlier this month. Read what WNHHN told the Minister below.
On July 9, the Women’s National Housing & Homelessness Network (WNHHN) joined a federal roundtable that was convened by the Honourable Gregor Robertson, Minister of Housing, Infrastructure and Communities, to discuss how federal housing initiatives can better address homelessness, housing instability, supportive and transitional housing, and the role of wraparound services in improving long-term housing outcomes – especially for women and gender-diverse people. Khulud Baig, Executive Director of Policy and Engagement, joined other sector leaders and the Minister for the roundtable for input that may be reflected in the new National Housing Strategy as the current one and its bilateral agreements are set to expire in 2028.
The discussion brought together organizations from across Canada’s housing and homelessness sector to share perspectives on emerging challenges, opportunities for stronger coordination across intersecting systems (e.g. housing, health, income support), and lessons learned from existing federal programs. This was with the aim of identifying barriers and practical approaches to preventing homelessness as well as improving long-term housing stability, reflecting on lessons learned from existing federal housing initiatives to help inform future policy and programing.
During the roundtable, WNHHN emphasized a series of critical gaps that continue to undermine Canada’s response to homelessness that directly emerge from the absence of a comprehensive gender-responsive approach within mainstream homelessness policy and funding.
Women and Gender-Diverse People Continue to Fall Through Systemic Cracks
While women and gender-diverse people experience homelessness differently, and often face unique barriers rooted in gender-based violence such as caregiving responsibilities, trauma, discrimination, and economic inequality, federal homelessness funding and supports have not consistently reflected these realities.
Too often, women are forced to navigate systems that were not designed with their needs in mind. Many encounter high-barrier environments, including limited access to gender appropriate violence-against-women (VAW) shelters, co-ed emergency shelters, shared washrooms and sleeping spaces that compromise safety, and outreach services that are not equipped to respond to gender-specific risks. Women living unsheltered or in encampments frequently face heightened risks of violence, exploitation, and victimization, yet there are few dedicated resources to support gender-responsive outreach.
Without clear federal priorities, strategies, or accountability measures, service providers are often left to develop gender-responsive approaches on their own, despite limited funding and capacity.
The Need for a Gender-Responsive Housing Strategy Is Needed
Policy spaces often talk about how women and gender-diverse are falling through the cracks, but this is not accompanied by strategy, measurable targets, or funding priorities for the acknowledged groups. There is an overall lack of any strategy on how gendered vulnerabilities are to be addressed, thus, leaving everything to individual actors.
Rather than relying on individual organizations, which are managing only with what they have, to fill systemic gaps, Canada needs a coordinated national approach that embeds gender equity into homelessness policy from the outset. This means recognizing that homelessness is not gender neutral and ensuring federal investments reflect the different pathways into homelessness, the distinct safety concerns individuals face, and the supports required to achieve long-term housing stability.
Opportunities for Change Through Reaching Home
Lastly, we emphasize the opportunity to strengthen Reaching Home by creating a dedicated gender-responsive housing stream, and specifically create space for support services for women and gender-diverse, led by individuals trained in gendered service provision. Embedding gender-responsive priorities within Reaching Home would help ensure that federal homelessness investments are better aligned with the lived realities of those most affected by housing instability.
WNHHN appreciates the opportunity to contribute to this important conversation and welcomes the federal government’s commitment to engaging directly with organizations working on the front lines of housing and homelessness.
As Canada continues to shape the future of its housing and homelessness strategy, WNHHN will continue advocating for policies that recognize the gendered realities of homelessness and ensure that women and gender-diverse people are no longer treated as an afterthought within mainstream housing responses.
Ending homelessness requires more than increasing housing supply; rather, it requires systems that are equitable, responsive, and designed to meet the unique needs of everyone they serve.