Shelters and outreach groups in Moncton are speaking out about some of the unique challenges homeless women face.
Summer has seen an increase in the number of people living on the street, particularly in the number of homeless women.
Shelter workers say homeless and vulnerable women face different challenges than men, and tend to hide their situation, or turn to prostitution to avoid living on the street.
“There's more every day. I was out this past week and I encountered two new girls working who I haven't seen in the last three months,” says Street Angels founder Amanda Gilliatt. “When it comes to specific resources that will address what they need, and complex PTSD that goes along with it, there's not much.”
Harvest House is one of two emergency homeless shelters in Moncton, but it only has one room for women. While it is often operating at maximum capacity, some women still avoid using a shelter in the first place.
“The pressure that comes to a woman is far greater than men that are struggling with addictions, and I’m not saying that men don't get involved in prostitution, it happens, but I’d say not nearly as much as a woman,” says Harvest House Atlantic founder Cal Maskery. “There needs to be a totally safe and secure place to rebuild their lives.”
“Adding to the list of unique challenge is the fact that many of these women have children, and there are long waitlists for permanent housing solutions,” says AIDS Moncton executive director Debby Warren.
The outreach groups in Moncton say there is no easy solution, but that a women's-only shelter could be a step in the right direction
“Here we are, the size that we are, and we don't have a shelter for women. We have mixed shelters, and men's only shelters, but nothing women specific,” says Warren.
With colder weather on the way, it's a need the shelters say will only become more urgent.
With files from CTV Atlantic’s Cami Kepke.
