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Barclay, Victoria Marissa

University of British Columbia

This thesis investigates how Canada’s efforts to fulfill the UN’s conceptualization of the right to housing can be improved based on the experiences of Indigenous, Black, and Women of Colour (IBWOC) who are fleeing gender-based violence in Vancouver and Toronto, Canada. Policymakers frequently prioritize the infrastructural and economic components of the right to housing. This can overlook important social aspects of the right to housing. Previous analyses indicate that comprehensive or intersectional approaches that cater to several needs such as legal and employment services are necessary to adequately house women after they flee violence. I use grounded theory to analyze semi-structured interviews with 10 IBWOC who have fled violence in Vancouver and Toronto. Important social aspects of housing emphasized by IBWOC fleeing gender-based violence includes a sense of community, a feeling of safety, and supportive landlord relationships. My findings shows that IBWOC who have fled violence value a sense of community. They also lack a feeling of safety that is highly relational to the people around them. Lastly, their relationships with private landlords are often poor but landlords are in a position to provide support. The results illustrate that housing is a social phenomenon and efforts to meet IBWOC’s right to housing must consider social needs.

Text

2023-06-29

Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International

http://hdl.handle.net/2429/85182

Sociology

University of British Columbia

UBCV

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/