It’s Time to Address the Unaddressed
Bringing light to hidden homelessness in Calgary through a gender-equity lens.
“I moved back in with the man I had a no contact order with and lived with anxiety until I was approved for a housing program”
- Voice of Lived ExperienceWhat is hidden Homelessness?
Many women and gender diverse people experiencing homelessness aren’t counted in official data.
To stay safe, women and gender diverse people often resort to survival strategies, such as trading sex for shelter, remaining in abusive relationships, couch surfing, or sleeping in cars.
“I’m 61, working nights in construction, and living in my car. They told me I’m not in enough of a crisis to get into a shelter.”
- Voice of Lived ExperienceFrontline Service Worker
“We could do more if there were more resources… women and gender-diverse people are not even on the radar. We are just trying to house people.”
Women, gender-diverse people, and children face critical, traumatic circumstances that cause them to become housing insecure.
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Wage Gaps in Alberta
In Alberta, women earn about 40% less than men, and make up roughly 60% of minimum wage earners. They are more likely to work part-time, and are overrepresented in low-paying sectors. This ongoing income inequality makes it difficult for women to get and keep stable housing.
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Intimate Partner Violence
Nearly 30% of Albertan women over 15 have experienced intimate partner violence. Abusers often use housing as control, knowing their victims have nowhere else to go. Without affordable housing, many are trapped in abuse or forced to return to it.
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Shortage of Family Shelter Space
The current shortage of family shelter space in Alberta traps many families in ongoing instability, with few ways out. Without suitable housing, these families face overcrowding, isolation, and increased vulnerability.
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Landlord Discrimination
Sex-for-rent predatory arrangements can expose vulnerable young women to the risk of being manipulated into sex trafficking. Some women have also reported unjustified rent hikes of $600 to $1,000 per month, leaving vulnerable tenants with little options but to accept poor living conditions or face eviction.
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Underfunded Shelters
Despite limited resources, shelters and their staff provide vital care to those in need, showing resilience and compassion under constant pressure. However, many women feel unsafe in co-ed shelters due to risks of violence, harassment, and discrimination — issues that could be reduced with inclusive, gender-specific spaces.
The IMPACT
What remains hidden cannot be addressed.
Hidden homelessness puts women, children, and gender diverse people at risk of illness, violence, and isolation. When their experiences go unrecognized and unsupported, these hardships often repeat across generations, deepening cycles of poverty and trauma.
It’s time to break those cycles. Calgary needs local solutions that build inclusive housing and lasting stability for everyone, now and for the future.
“My daughter calls the shelter our ‘hotel.’ We’ve been here for months while I fight to keep custody after years of abuse.”
- Voice of Lived ExperienceOUR Work is well UNDERWAY
Receive Our Final Report in Your Inbox
Collaborating with lived-experts, frontline staff and sector leadership, we are collecting and analyzing data to better understand the true scale and nature of hidden homelessness in Calgary. Be the first to read our final report and stay updated as we move forward with our findings.
