Good News for a Change!

Season 2 Episode 1

Please be advised that the topics discussed in this series can be challenging to listen to and explore topics of homelessness, abuse, torture, transphobia, racism, and drug use. Please take care while listening.

Welcome back to season 2 of She. They. Us. 

In our last season, we met a diverse group of people who are fighting for housing rights for women and gender diverse people across Canada. We hope that from it, you learned how these groups are disproportionately affected in the current housing crisis, and what you could do to help.

In this season, we will meet more individuals at the frontlines, as well as experts in the field, to help us better understand why households led by women and gender diverse people are disproportionately impacted by the housing crisis. 

In today’s episode, we check in with Janice Abbott, the Founder of the Pan-Canadian Voice for Women’s Housing to see what progress (or lack thereof) has been made on the frontlines of the housing crisis in Canada, specifically for women and gender diverse people. 

Next, we will take a deep dive on Neha, a new review panel on the right of housing for women, two spirit, trans, and gender-diverse people and the government’s duty to uphold this right. We will meet Stefania Seccia and Arlene Hache, two women working with the Women’s Network, which has been at the front lines of establishing Neha. 

Finally, we will need Margaret Wanyoike, a woman who has experienced invisible homelessness; a term used to describe people who are unhoused, but are not actively living in the streets or shelters. Margaret shares her experience as a refugee to Canada, her trouble finding housing, and the abuse she sustained along the way.

Meet Our Guests in Order of Appearance 

• Janice Abbott, Founder of the Pan-Canadian Voice for Women’s Housing
• Arlene Hache, Community Development Activist, Director, Women’s National Housing & Homelessness Network
• Stefania Seccia, Executive Director, Advocacy and Public Affairs, Women’s National Housing & Homelessness Network
• Margaret Wanyoike, Housing Advocate

About your host

Andrea Reimer is a Housing Advocate and former politician. In 2008, Andrea was elected as a City Councillor for the City of Vancouver, and served in that role for ten years. Since 2019, she has been an Adjunct Professor at University of British Columbia’s School of Public Policy and Global Affairs. In her teen years, Andrea experienced homelessness and has been a public voice within the housing crisis for the last two decades. 

Additional Resources from this Episode 

We've gathered the resources from this episode into one helpful list:

Season 1 of She. They. Us.: https://pcvwh.ca/she-they-us/she-they-us-podcast/

Pan-Canadian Voice for Women’s Housing: https://pcvwh.ca/

Neha Review Panel: https://nhc-cnl.ca/review-panels/review-4

Women's National Housing and Homelessness Network: https://womenshomelessness.ca/

Community Action Network (CAN): https://www.bcpovertyreduction.ca/can

Unfortunately, there is not a national crisis line in Canada for survivors of gender based violence. But you can find provincial crisis lines and other resources at this link: https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/health-promotion/stop-family-violence/services.html 

#housing #housingcrisis #canada