Her name is Louise and I met her at the bus stop. She talks to me. She has nowhere to go, she wants to “clean up” and she is afraid of “mixed” shelters. Looking for a makeshift solution, she asks me for a hygienic product.
The report on the count of people experiencing visible homelessness published in 2023 estimated 10,000 homeless people in Quebec and 16,377 in Ontario (without London). Between violence, homelessness, lack of resources and constant danger, the reality is that these women are falling into oblivion. There are Louises everywhere. Their precarious situation in no way justifies what they live in the shadows. This sword of Damocles hanging over their heads is a reminder to everyone of the importance of intersectionality in the search for concrete and adequate solutions. Investing a sum of money is one thing, using it wisely is another. As a woman and an agent of change, I hope that with a collective effort, we can witness the day when they will benefit from services worthy of what every human is entitled to. Female homelessness must not remain as a page intentionally left empty in our diary.
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