Project Description
Gender-based violence remains one of the most widespread human rights issues globally. Approximately one in three women are impacted by sexual and/or intimate partner violence, worldwide. Socioeconomic access, racism, ableism, and mental health are all shaped by and contribute to cycles of gender-based violence. Addressing housing security is becoming more recognized as essential to ending gender-based violence.
However, there is a lack of consensus on how to define housing security, what instruments are used to assess it, and to what extent gender-based violence is accounted for within current instruments. In lacking a clear definition or approach to measurement, researchers and shelter service providers have a limited ability to assess the extent of, or develop responses to, gender-based violence amongst those who are precariously housed. This particular challenge is exacerbated given the high rates of ‘hidden homelessness’ experienced by women.
Goal
In this project, we will connect with shelter service providers across British Columbia, Ontario, and Nova Scotia to identify instruments used to assess housing insecurity. We will assess (1) domains of housing security, as well as (2) whether, and (3) to what extent, gender-based violence is assessed in the context of existing housing security assessment instruments.
This review will support future practices and instrumentation development for housing security assessments that are responsive to the context of gender-based violence.
Project Updates
March 2026: We are in the process of contacting shelters across British Columbia, Ontario, and Nova Scotia to determine what instruments are currently being used in shelter contexts.
The Team
This project was informed by feedback from other Capacity projects, including Scaling Up, in which housing was consistently identified as an area in need of prioritization in addressing gender-based violence. The project team is interdisciplinary, comprising partnerships across academic institutions, as well as shelter and public health sectors across British Columbia, Ontario, and Nova Scotia.
Contact Information
| Principal Investigator Dr. Vicky Bungay 604.822.7933 vicky.bungay@ubc.ca | Project Manager Patricia Tait 604.822.2852 patricia.tait@ubc.ca |