The Canadian Women’s National Housing and Homelessness Network (the WNHHN) has just published a report recommending National Standards for Emergency Shelters (Emergency Shelter Standards) that integrate human rights and are gender sensitive. This is groundbreaking work because the Emergency Shelter Standards offer practices for operating a shelter system that is safe and accessible for all people regardless of where they experience homelessness in the country.
The Emergency Shelter Standards have been constructed to explicitly incorporate people who experience high rates of homelessness when compared with the general population, for example Indigenous people, Black people and people who are LGBTQ2S. As well, the Emergency Shelter Standards intentionally encompass groups of people who experience housing discrimination, including women, children and people with disabilities.
To produce Emergency Shelter Standards, the WNHHN created an advisory committee of 19 people to guide the development process. The WNHHN also organized multiple discussions with hundreds of people across the country. Those who took part in the discussions included people with lived experiences, service providers, human rights experts, and advocacy groups. This approach was necessary to create standards that would respond to the diverse needs of people who experience homelessness.
There is an upcoming opportunity for an even wider consultation about the Emergency Shelter Standards. Work is underway to convene a Review Panel with a mandate to investigate barriers to housing rights amongst women and gender-diverse people. The Review Panel is a public venue for residents and organizations to give input on Canadian housing policies and programs. People who participate in the Review Panel will be able to comment on the Emergency Shelter Standards that the WNHHN has crafted.
The Emergency Shelter Standards have been specifically developed for use in Canada. Readers in other jurisdictions may find it worthwhile to consider the process that the Network used to create the Emergency Shelter Standards. It may also be worthwhile to to compare the Emergency Shelter Standards with other available standards for emergency shelters.
The Emergency Shelter Standards and supplemental documents are available at the Women’s National Housing And Homelessness Network: Setting A National Standard On Gender And Human Rights Approaches For Emergency Shelters
