Open Letter – March 8, 2025
Homelessness Among Women: The Invisible Faces Behind the Numbers
On International Women’s Rights Day, The Chez Doris team in Montreal reminds us that the specific needs of women living in situations of homelessness or vulnerability are too often forgotten.
Every day, the team at Chez Doris connect with women who are often overlooked. We welcome those who struggle in the shadows, their faces strained by fear, fatigue, and distress. Whether they are homeless, vulnerable, or living precariously, we are there to support them. As we approach the census of the unhoused, we already know that many of these women will once again be overlooked.
Contrary to popular belief, homelessness is not just about tents in parks or lineups in front of shelters. For women, it takes on more discreet forms: sleeping in a car with children, couch-surfing with friends, or enduring abusive relationships in exchange for a roof over their heads. They do not show up in the official statistics, yet their number is growing.
Every day, we welcome elderly women evicted from their homes after decades of stability, unable to find new housing with their meagre pensions. Students with inadequate incomes end up homeless. Others, out of shame or fear, choose to wander, unseen. Every night, our waitlist includes more than ten women looking for a place to sleep. When we cannot accommodate them despite our best efforts, we do everything possible to find them a solution and prevent them from spending the night on the street.
Homeless women face specific dangers: sexual violence and exploitation, and lack of safe spaces. Given the traumas they face, they feel less comfortable going to mixed shelter and develop survival strategies that make them invisible. This vicious cycle of invisibility perpetuates their exclusion and prevents any response tailored to their needs.
For these reasons, we believe we need:
- A new census methodology that considers hidden homelessness
- The urgent creation of more women-only shelter resources
- Sustainable funding for organizations that support them
- Official recognition of women’s homelessness as a distinct problem requiring tailored solutions
On this International Women’s Day, we remind everyone of one essential truth: these women are not invisible. Behind each missing number there is a woman, a journey, a struggle. They hide because they have no choice. It’s time to open our eyes and to act. Together, let’s marshal the resources to bring these overlooked women out of the shadows and into the light.
Diane Pilote, Executive Director
Nancy Girard, Director of Operations – Service Centres
Tania Filippone, Director of Programs and Services
Béatrice Rock, Manager, Shelter
Tamarah François, Manager, Health and Service Centre
And the entire Chez Doris team