Karen Mackenzie
Northern News Services
Published Monday, November 19, 2007

NUNAVUT - A lack of adequate housing has created a crisis situation for women in the North, according to a study on homelessness released last week.

Counsellor Annie Onalik works at her desk at the Qimaavik Transition House in Apex. Nunavut has six safe shelters like Qimaavik for women fleeing violence, but not a single homeless shelter for women. - Karen Mackenzie/NNSL photo

The report, titled You Just Blink and It Can Happen, paints a bleak picture of life for many women in Nunavut, where the waiting list for public housing tops 1,000 names.

"Without a doubt, the extreme housing shortage is a major factor. One of the quotes we had from the Nunavut Housing Corporation was that we need 3,000 units, immediately, just to bring overcrowding on par with the rest of Canada," said Shylah Elliott, a report writer and researcher for the study's Nunavut-specific component.

In Nunavut, researchers recorded the stories of 73 women affected by homelessness, all of them Inuit.

Sometimes, women are forced to sleep with men for a place to stay, or worse, turn to prostitution and drugs to get by, the study reported.

"You can always turn to men. They will always give a place to sleep for sex," said one person who was interviewed for the report.

"You go with this man even though you don't want to. You don't love him, you don't like him, but he has a bed to sleep on. You have no choice but to follow him because you need a place to sleep. It makes you sick inside, makes you lose your mind," recounted another.

Prepared for a coalition of women's groups and the YWCA, the document looks at the causes, impacts, services and bureaucracy related to homelessness.

Although a specific estimate of homeless women was beyond the scope of the study, its researchers estimated that there are well over 1,000 homeless women across the North. When children are factored in, that number could reach over 2,000, according to Stephanie Williams, executive director of the Qulliit Nunavut Status of Women.

One of the most shocking findings of the report was the fact that almost every woman in the territory is at risk of homelessness, she said.

"Any small change in their circumstances can really disrupt the fragile structures of their lives," Williams said, pointing to relocation, eviction and personal wellness as possible causes.

The problem in Nunavut is compounded by unique circumstances as well, including the complete absence of any homeless shelters in the territory, Elliott explained.

"It's very overwhelming. There so many factors that lead women to become homeless and leave them more vulnerable to it," said Elliott. "We just need immediate intervention to address the public housing crisis."

Annie Onalik, a counsellor at Qimaavik Transition House in Apex, has had firsthand experience of what it's like to be trapped in an abusive situation, with nowhere to escape.

"We have a lot of women come in here with abusive relationships, and they need housing because they don't want to return home. Some have no choice but to go back," Onalik said. "I was in the same situation with my ex-husband. I even thought about going to the homeless shelter, but they didn't accept children."

A worker at the Qimaavik shelter - one of six safe shelters open only to women fleeing violence - estimated there to be 100-150 homeless women in the capital city alone.

Last month, Qimaavik was at 95 per cent occupancy, with 16 Inuit women and 17 children, according to a recent report by the Baffin Regional Agvvik Society.

Of the 16 women who departed in October, five planned to return to the home from which they had fled, and six had plans to stay with friends or family.

Only one reported the intention to live independently.

"There's no priority housing for them ... single women with no children are at the bottom of the list. It's very difficult for them so they end up cycling in and out of shelters and (in) most cases, back to the same abusive situation," Elliott said.

Pauktuutit Inuit Women of Canada, a national non-profit organization representing Inuit women, welcomed the creation of the new, in-depth study, according to its executive director Jennifer Dickson.

Last month, Dickson delivered a presentation to the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, specifically on the topic of inadequate housing for Inuit women in Canada, she said. "From the beginning, the housing provided to Inuit was either inadequate and/or inappropriate," she said in her presentation. "When they were moved into communities, the provided housing did not take into account Inuit cultural practices such as preparing animal carcasses or the need for easily accessible storage areas."

The recent homelessness study was funded by the Qulliit Nunavut Status of Women, Qimaavik Women's Shelter, National Secretariat on Homelessness and Indian and Northern Affairs Canada's Secretariat on Inuit Relations.