Homelessness, along with the general lack of affordable housing, has become a main issue in recent election campaigns, whether civic, provincial, or federal. 

Lisa Rupert is the VP of Housing and Violence Prevention for YWCA Vancouver. She identifies “...violence against women [as] one of the main reasons across Canada for women and their children to be homeless or in precarious housing situations.”

She discusses the platforms of the three main federal parties running in the September federal election. While all are promising changes to housing policy, identifying the issue of great importance to Canadians, Rupert says she, “would have liked to see a little bit more from all of them. If we want to end violence against women, the first step is providing women with the ability to leave, and that straight-up means housing.”