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PROJECT:

ADDRESSING UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES OF PANDEMIC RELATED HOUSING POLICIES

2022-2023 | Government of Yukon (Office of the Science Advisor)

The "Addressing the Unintended Consequences of Pandemic-Related Housing Policies" project  examined the gendered impacts of Whitehorse’s housing crisis and the impacts of policies and procedures implemented during the pandemic.

Yukon’s well documented housing crisis has recently been described as being at its worst (Proulx, 2022); however, the particular gendered impacts of Whitehorse’s housing crisis are not fully understood. The 2022 Auditor General’s Report on Yukon’s Housing points to several systemic issues arising from the delivery models implemented by Yukon Government’s Health and Social Services Department and Yukon Housing Corporation.  Furthermore, numerous gender equality housing initiatives and commitments have been declared by YG (Office of the Auditor General, 2022), but not yet been realized in an impactful way. Anecdotal evidence from the NGO sector and people with lived experience suggests that policies and procedures implemented during the pandemic worsened the housing crisis, which is disproportionately disadvantaging women and families who are unhoused or precariously housed.

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BACKGROUND

In partnership with Safe at Home Society, we aim to investigate the ways in which policies that shape housing that were born out of, implemented during, or influenced by contextual features of the pandemic impact women and their families. The policies and procedures underpinning the Yukon Government’s housing delivery models, which were identified by the Auditor General as problematic, will be analyzed using a gender-based analysis + (GBA+) framework.

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There are three components of this project:

  • interviews with women with lived experience and service providers who administer housing-related services;

  • an analysis of policies, procedures, and legislation that shape housing; and

  • a photo-voice component to support community engagement in the lived experience of unhoused and precariously housed women and their families.

The findings from this project will be used to inform policy and program recommendations directly related to securing and sustaining housing for women and their families. The findings will culminate in a final report which will be made available to both funders and the public. Financial support for this project was made possible by the Yukon Government.

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