She They Us

Season 2 Episode 3 

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.

In this episode of She. They. Us., we shift from federal policy to local government approaches to housing through the lens of one of Canada’s most expensive cities, Vancouver. 

First, we will meet Jill Atkey, the CEO of the BC Non-Profit Housing Association, a leading voice in housing advocacy and policy in British Columbia. With a deep understanding of the province’s housing landscape, Jill walks us through the historical decisions and economic shifts that have contributed to Vancouver’s ongoing housing crisis. She also shares what hope she has for the future of the city. 

Next, we will meet Gregor Robertson, who reflects on his time in office as Mayor of Vancouver from 2008-2018, and the challenges the city faced in addressing rising homelessness. He shares how Vancouver worked to shift development away from luxury condos toward more rental options, and how tools like the empty homes tax and modular housing made an impact. He also reflects  on how difficult it was to get higher levels of government to act more urgently. Now a Member of Parliament and Minister of Housing and Infrastructure, Robertson also speaks to the importance of community-driven solutions, particularly when addressing the needs of women and gender-diverse households.

Finally, we will meet Lisa Guerin, the program manager of the Colonial Hotel, a Single Room Occupancy (SRO) building located in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside. Lisa brings a rare and powerful perspective to the conversation, not only does she now help manage the building, but she also once lived there herself. Her lived experience with supportive housing gives her unique insight into both its value and its shortcomings. Lisa speaks candidly about the challenges faced by residents, the importance of stable, dignified housing, and the role that wraparound supports play in helping people rebuild their lives. In light of recent policy decisions, including a pause on the construction of new supportive housing units in Vancouver, Lisa also shares a heartfelt message directed at current Mayor Ken Sim, urging him to recognize the human cost of these delays and to recommit to long-term housing solutions for the city’s most vulnerable.

Meet Our Guests in Order of Appearance 

• Jill Atkey, CEO, BC Non-Profit Housing Association
• Gregor Robertson, Mayor of Vancouver 2008-2018 and current Minister of Housing and Infrastructure
• Lisa Guerin, Program Manager, Colonial Hotel

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/

Sorella Housing:

https://www.vancouverisawesome.com/courier-archive/news/new-housing-project-opens-in-downtown-eastside-2924604

Families in Recovery Program: http://www.bcwomens.ca/our-services/mental-health-substance-use/fir

Vancouver Housing Targets and Progress Reports: https://vancouver.ca/people-programs/housing-vancouver-targets.aspx

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

Season 2 Episode 2 

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.

In this episode of She. They. Us., we will look at the work the Federal Government has been doing - or at the least should be doing - to help women and gender diverse people in the housing crisis and some of the structural barriers to greater action. 

First, we will meet Ashley, an HIV Support Services Coordinator based in North Bay, Ontario. Despite her dedication to helping others navigate complex health and social systems, Ashley faces her own challenges behind the scenes. Due to the rising cost of living and a lack of affordable housing options in her community, she’s been forced to remain living with her ex-husband even after their separation. 

Next, we will meet Frances Bula, a journalist who has spent decades reporting on urban affairs, housing, and social policy across Canada. Drawing on her extensive experience, Frances helps us understand the broader forces behind the housing crisis. She describes how, over the past several decades, a combination of policy decisions, government inaction, and chronic underinvestment has transformed North America into what she calls a “Homelessness Factory.” Through her insight, we begin to see how systemic failures have pushed countless people into housing precarity and homelessness.

Finally, we will meet Mike Moffatt, an Economist and the former Canadian Chief Innovation Officer for the federal government, based in Ottawa, Ontario. Now, Mike is a Founding Director of a think tank called “The Missing Middle Initiative”, at the University of Ottawa which is dedicated to looking at the decline of Canada's young middle class. Mike speaks on how innovation and complexity are challenging for  governments with an aversion to “failure points”.

Meet Our Guests in Order of Appearance 

• Ashley, HIV Support Services Coordinator
• Frances Bula, Journalist and Advocate
• Mike Moffatt, Economist

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/

The Missing Middle Initiative: https://www.missingmiddleinitiative.ca/

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

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

Welcome to She.They.Us. a podcast about making room in housing for women and gender-diverse people brought to you by the Pan-Canadian Voice for Women’s Housing. Join host Andrea Reimer to hear about why Canada’s housing crisis is hitting households led by women and gender-diverse people harder and what you can do about it.

S01 E8: In this final episode we will look at the most powerful tool we have to make room for women and gender-diverse people in housing in Canada, and how you can find it and use it.

S01 E7: Over the past six episodes we’ve heard about how much harder it is for women and gender-diverse people to find safe, affordable and appropriate housing. In the last two episodes of this series we will be looking at solutions that specifically acknowledge these challenges and show how women across the country have been mobilizing their resources to create change.

You can’t talk about women, gender-diverse people and housing without talking about gender-based violence. But you also can’t talk about violence without talking about solutions for safe and affordable housing for survivors. We’ll talk to Cindy Chiasson from Betty’s Haven in the Yukon and Michaela Mayer at the Canadian Centre for Women’s Empowerment, learn about the experiences of newcomers facing intimate partner violence from Sara Eftekar and hear from Syreeta Moore about what it is like to have to make the choice between violence and poverty.

S01 E5: Trans women experience high levels of both poverty and violence, two of the biggest factors in determining whether you are likely to be in housing crisis. Trans and housing rights activist Susan Gapka shares her story of the long road she’s had to take to find a safe place to call home, even as she won protections and rights for others, and we’ll hear from Aaron Munro about how women’s organizations can provide safer spaces for trans women.

Gender-diverse people in Canada face discrimination in many aspects of their lives and this all collides in a housing crisis in difficult and often dangerous situations. We will talk to Aaron Munro, a counselor and housing advocate for trans, gender-diverse and two-spirit people, and hear from Avery Shannon about what it’s been like for them to navigate a world still coming to grips with gender diversity during a housing crisis.

If it’s hard for governments to see the experiences of women in the housing crisis, it's harder still for them to see the challenges women with intersectional identities have to deal with. We will talk to Alina Mackay and Victoria Barclay on the Finding Rooms for Families research project, and hear from Lori Deets and Khristine Cariño about their experiences.