EFry Releases Region’s First Study on Women’s Homelessness & Housing Needs Thanks to $100,000 OTF Grant

BRAMPTON, ON, June 25, 2025 /CNW/ – EFry Hope and Help for Women today released its report on the Peel Region’s first-ever study of housing insecurity faced by women and single-caregiver led families: No Place of Their Own: Report on Women’s Growing Homelessness and Housing Needs in the Peel Region.

“As the Minister of Women’s Social and Economic Opportunities, I am proud that our government invested in the Elizabeth Fry Hope and Housing study. These findings mark an important step forward in addressing the urgent and complex issue of housing insecurity for women and single-caregiver families in Peel. This report, supported by the Ontario Trillium Foundation, will help drive meaningful, targeted solutions that ensure women and children receive the care, safety, and support they deserve. I commend EFry for their vital work and remain committed to working together to build a system that truly meets the needs of our communities,” said Charmaine Williams, MPP for Brampton Centre.

EFry’s study was made possible thanks to a $100,000 Resilient Communities Fund grant from the provincial government’s Ontario Trillium Foundation (OTF). The grant funded the hiring of expertise, as well as the administrative and program costs associated with a scoping study establishing the need for shelter and housing for low-income women and children. The study brought together both qualitative and quantitative methodology, including regional, provincial and federal data relating to risk factors associated with homelessness and housing insecurity.

“As a charity supporting vulnerable women and children, we have seen a dramatic increase in the number of homeless women and families,” said Deborah Riddle, EFry Hope and Help’s executive director. “While the housing crisis is well-known, there was no research into the depth of impact for women and their families. That information is vital in creating effective solutions.

“The through-line in our findings is that supports for people experiencing homelessness are set-up for men, and what women need differs. With women and children now making up some 52 percent of the homeless population, we need to see changes in what’s provided if we don’t want the challenges to keep getting worse.”

Key Findings:

• Women & children form more than half the region’s homeless population – 52 per cent of the Peel-Halton’s homeless population is either a woman (40 per cent, up five per cent in the first few months of 2025) or a child (12 per cent). These may be lower than the true numbers, as homeless women are often hidden, living in tents, cars or couch-surfing.
• Only 2% of Peel’s shelter beds are designated for women – Women will often avoid co-ed shelters due to personal security risks. All family shelters in the area are co-ed, putting children in potentially risky situations.
• More than 1/3 of Metro Toronto women live below the poverty line – Low-income thresholds for the region’s municipalities are $29,380 for a single adult and $36,576 for two people, such as a mother and child. 29 per cent of women in Metro Toronto have incomes under $20,000, 37 per cent under $30,000, and nearly half earn less than $35,000.
• Average market rent would consume the vast majority of women’s incomes – For women earning less than $30,000, the average market rent for a one-bedroom apartment consumes 68% of their income. A two-bedroom apartment for mother and child requires 81%.
• Even below-market rents are increasingly unaffordable and increasingly rare – The Canada Ontario Housing Benefit (COHB), intended to bridge the gap between low-income earners and average market rents, is not enough to fund housing in Peel, which averages nearly $1,000 month more than the Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) figure used to make the calculation. Wait times for subsidized housing in the region are commonly 13-15 years.
• There are no housing projects in development that will benefit the deeply poor – Current projects are targeted to those with annual incomes of $61,000 –$110,000.
• Best-practice supports for women differ from men – Housing stability increases when vulnerable people are provided with the right mix of supports. For men, these commonly address substance use, social isolation and employment skills. For women, they address safety and security, trauma and abuse, family-centred needs, education and job skills.

The report’s recommendations include:

• Develop an Enhanced COHB benefit of 150% for women and children exiting shelters to help them get and keep housing.
• Take a regional rather than municipal approach to housing, so people do not lose their place on affordable housing waitlists when they must move within the region.
• Open a dedicated shelter with beds for 40 women and children.
• Provide housing placement workers for shelters with women and children.
• Use federal Reaching Home funding to hire Family Homelessness Prevention Workers.
• Provide Community Integration Housing Workers exiting institutional care (prison, substance use treatment, hospital) to secure stable housing.
• Include family shelters in visiting teacher programs so homeless children stay attached to school.
• Conduct an annual regional count of homeless women and children in shelters. This information will support strategic support development and evaluation.

No Place of Their Own: Report on Women’s Growing Homelessness and Housing Needs in the Peel Region is available for download at efryhopehelp.com

EFry Hope and Help for Women is a Southern Ontario charity supporting women and children at risk or impacted by legal system involvement. For more than 50 years, its programs and services have helped clients build stable futures.

About the Ontario Trillium Foundation

The Ontario Trillium Foundation (OTF) is an agency of the Ontario government with a mission to build healthy and vibrant communities across the province. Last year, OTF invested nearly $105M into 732 community projects and multi-sector partnerships. Projects aim to enhance economic well-being, foster more active lifestyles, support child and youth development, provide spaces for people to come together and connect, and create a more sustainable environment. Visit otf.ca to learn more.

SOURCE EFry Hope and Help for Women