Open Collections

Housing for female-led families : the potential to go beyond shelter

University of British Columbia

As the numbers of ‘non-traditional’ families, particularly single parent families increases, so do the number of associated problems, including finding adequate and affordable housing. These problems are attributed to a number of factors including: the inherent inequities in the primarily private market combined with the low economic status of these families; and housing policy which focuses on home ownership for the middle class ignoring the needs, and limiting the options available to renters such as single parents. This thesis examines the current housing situation faced by single parents in Canada, including their needs and the options available to them. The profile of single parent families is one which is predominately headed by women, who overall have a lower education than men, as well as married women; and under the age of 65 have the lowest incomes in Canada. This profile places these families in a difficult position vis-a-vis other families, particularly in the competitive housing markets that exist in larger centers, like Vancouver. Discrimination is often experienced when looking for housing, and insecure tenure, poor, inappropriate housing and inaccessible locations often plague single mothers when they do find somewhere to live. The case study examined found that there were many serious implications due to the lack of affordable and adequate shelter. The often overwhelming burden of finding stable housing led to many physical and emotional problems, homelessness, and the break-up of families, adversely affecting esteem and a personal sense of power. However, the results of this study indicate that alternative housing, such as the one studied in this thesis, can provide an affordable option for single parent families that not only more adequately meets the needs of these families, but provide concomitant benefits as well. In light of the continuing withdrawal of government funding for social housing, these far-reaching benefits are perhaps timely to consider when examining housing policy.

Thesis/Dissertation

application/pdf

2009-03-04

For non-commercial purposes only, such as research, private study and education. Additional conditions apply, see Terms of Use https://open.library.ubc.ca/terms_of_use.

http://hdl.handle.net/2429/5460

Planning

University of British Columbia

UBCV

DSpace