Women on the Streets: The Complexity of Homelessness

Homelessness is an intersectional experience that stigma has prevented us from understanding. One of the most rudimentary points of view often overlooked when examining the adverse effects of homelessness is women’s experiences. Even women who are above the poverty line face considerable danger on the streets alone at night. For homeless women, a lack of resources amplifies these dangers tenfold.

Image: Seaton House, Toronto’s largest homeless shelter, struggled with COVID-19 outbreaks throughout the pandemic like many others. (Robert Krbavac/CBC)

Women’s shelters are the only adequately safe option for homeless and displaced women, as rates of assault rise above 70% on the streets and in mixed shelters (Gov1). However, they have been overflowing far beyond their maximum capacity even before the pandemic. During the pandemic, this overpopulation has caused many deadly outbreaks of the virus amongst the women in these shelters who are presented with no real choice. If they are to stay on the streets, they face a plethora of prominent, life-threatening dangers, but if they remain in these shelters, they are at least warm and somewhat fed, abelt at risk of dangerous infectious diseases with no access to healthcare.

Thus, many women are left for themselves on the streets in the cold. Food and water are first priority, but many fail to realize that luxuries such as feminine hygiene products, contraceptives and birth control are also almost impossible to access due to the “pink tax” phenomenon on the women’s health industry. The inability to access these hygiene products coupled with the relative inaccessibility of a clean change of clothes exposes homeless women to many other infections and diseases. It is unfortunate that the demographic of women most vulnerable to sexual assault and exploitation are also the ones who cannot access life-saving and autonomy-preserving medication such as birth control or contraceptive pills. Being pregnant and homeless or displaced makes a person drastically more vulnerable and unable to break through the cycles of poverty that they are trapped in.

Giving women the ability to purchase the resources they need is an important argument as to why giving money to homeless individuals instead of directly giving them food or water is not only ethical but preferable. Homeless and displaced individuals are no less entitled to spending autonomy than individuals who are more privileged, especially when their needs are just as complex and just as individualistic as a privileged person’s. Sparing change gives people the ability to not choose between staying alive and maintaining autonomy and dignity, but to be able to afford both.

Works Cited

Draaisma, Muriel. “Resident of Toronto’s largest homeless shelter dies with COVID-19 as 50 shelters battle outbreaks.” CBC, 16 January 2022, https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/shelter-resident-death-covid-19-outbreaks-toronto-1.6317072. Accessed 19 January 2023.

Refinery29. “What Beauty Is Like For Homeless Women On The Streets | Shady | Refinery29.” YouTube, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q0rDBz7EOVw&t=149s. Accessed 19 January 2023.

Wells, Megan. “Rates of violence against the homeless are worse than you think.” Gov1, 20 April 2020, https://www.gov1.com/public-safety/articles/rates-of-violence-against-the-homeless-are-worse-than-you-think-PZ7QgDNA4F2MXDwf/. Accessed 19 January 2023.