Unhoused women in Niagara: Lived expertise of homelessness in community‐engaged research

Abstract

How do we apply a gender lens to the housing needs of vulnerable women? The YWCA Niagara Region (YWCA) asked this question. Brock University's Niagara Community Observatory (NCO) partnered with the YWCA to identify the barriers to accessing safe and affordable housing in Niagara, with priority placed on community engagement and inclusive access to housing. The article has a two‐fold purpose. First, it provides an overview of community‐engaged research, focusing on the key principles and practices involved in listening to stories of women with lived expertise of homelessness facing discrimination or disadvantage compounded by intersectional identities of Indigeneity, race, gender and ability. Second, it reports on the making of a policy brief and video clip designed as advocacy tools for increasing awareness of the need for increased equitable access to safe and affordable housing for women and gender diverse peoples in Niagara.