She They Us Podcast
Welcome to She They Us, a podcast about making room in housing for women and gender-diverse people brought to you by the Pan-Canadian Voice for Women’s Housing.
Join host Andrea Reimer to hear about why Canada’s housing crisis is hitting households led by women and gender-diverse people harder and what you can do about it.
Feeling inspired? Want to share your reflections with friends and community members?
Learn how to start your own Action Club (it’s a like book club with a twist!).
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Episode 1: Reality Check
When you think about the housing crisis what’s the image that comes to mind and who is in that image? We’ve been spending a lot of time in Canada talking about a housing crisis over the past few years but not a lot of time talking about what that means, or who it’s really impacting. In episode 1 we unpack who is losing in the housing crisis, the surprising winners and why you should care.
Guests
- Janice Abbott
- Nathan Lauster
- Rowan Burdge
- Alina Mackay
- Victoria Barclay
- Carolyn Whitzman
Want to find out more about the people and topics on this podcast?
Episode 2: I’d Like to Stay Here
For renters the housing crisis has been hard, and for women who rent it’s been harder still. We’ll hear from Hilary Chappel and Heather Hanninen Fairbairn about their experiences trying to hold on to housing and stay in your community when you’re on a fixed income and the rents keep going up.
Guests
- Hilary Chappel
- Heather Hanninen Fairbairn
Want to find out more about the people and topics on this podcast?
Episode 3: People Who Aren’t Counted, Don’t Count
If it’s hard for governments to see the experiences of women in the housing crisis, it’s harder still for them to see the challenges women with intersectional identities have to deal with. We will talk to Alina Mackay and Victoria Barclay on the Finding Rooms for Families research project, and hear from Lori Deets and Khristine Cariño about their experiences.
Guests
- Alina Mackay
- Victoria Barclay
- Lori Deets
- Khristine Cariño
Want to find out more about the people and topics on this podcast?
- The Urgency of Intersectionality – TED Talk by Kimberle Crenshaw
- Finding Rooms for Families – research study by Alina McKay and Victoria Barclay
- Sixties Scoop – background and resources
- Cedar Cottage Neighbourhood House
Episode 4: Nowhere to Hide
Gender-diverse people in Canada face discrimination in many aspects of their lives and this all collides in a housing crisis in difficult and often dangerous situations. We will talk to Aaron Munro, a counselor and housing advocate for trans, gender-diverse and two-spirit people, and hear from Avery Shannon about what it’s been like for them to navigate a world still coming to grips with gender diversity during a housing crisis.
Guests
- Aaron Munro
- Avery Shannon
Want to find out more about the people and topics on this podcast?
Check out these links:
Episode 5: Who Knew There Was Hope?
Trans women experience high levels of both poverty and violence, two of the biggest factors in determining whether you are likely to be in housing crisis. Trans and housing rights activist Susan Gapka shares her story of the long road she’s had to take to find a safe place to call home, even as she won protections and rights for others, and we’ll hear from Aaron Munro about how women’s organizations can provide safer spaces for trans women.
Guests
- Aaron Munro
- Susan Gapka
Want to find out more about the people and topics on this podcast?
Check out these links:
- Mental health commission study on safety for homeless people
- Ontario Human Rights Code – gender identity and gender expression
- Bill C-16: An Act to amend the Canadian Human Rights Act and the Criminal Code
- Best practices for women’s organizations with trans people
Episode 6 – They Chose Violence Over Poverty
You can’t talk about women, gender-diverse people and housing without talking about gender-based violence. But you also can’t talk about violence without talking about solutions for safe and affordable housing for survivors. We’ll talk to Cindy Chiasson from Betty’s Haven in the Yukon and Michaela Mayer at the Canadian Centre for Women’s Empowerment, learn about the experiences of newcomers facing intimate partner violence from Sara Eftekar and hear from Syreeta Moore about what it is like to have to make the choice between violence and poverty.
Guests
- Carolyn Whitzman
- Cindy Chiasson
- Michaela Mayer
- Sara Eftekar
- Syreeta Moore
Want to find out more about the people and topics on this podcast?
Check out these links:
- Find family violence resources and services in your area
- Betty’s Haven
- Hollyburn Community Services Gender-Based Violence Research Report (North Shore BIPOC+ women)
- Canadian Centre for Women’s Empowerment
- Finding Rooms for Families – research study by Alina McKay and Victoria Barclay
Episode 7 – An Exercise in Applied Ethics
Over the past six episodes we’ve heard about how much harder it is for women and gender-diverse people to find safe, affordable and appropriate housing. In the last two episodes of this series we will be looking at solutions that specifically acknowledge these challenges and show how women across the country have been mobilizing their resources to create change.
Guests
- Carolyn Whitzman
- Alina Mackay
- Victoria Barclay
- Irene Gannitsos
- Carla Guerrera
- Krista Pilz
Want to find out more about the people and topics on this podcast?
Check out these links:
Episode 8 – An Army of Women & Gender-Diverse People
In this final episode we will look at the most powerful tool we have to make room for women and gender-diverse people in housing in Canada, and how you can find it and use it.
Guests
- Krista Pilz
- Melissa Campbell
- Heather Hanninen Fairbairn
- Lori Deets
- Sara Eftekar
- Janice Abbott
Want to find out more about the people and topics on this podcast?
Check out these links:
Meet our host: Andrea Reimer
Andrea Reimer started her public work as a community organizer on issues of social, economic and environmental justice. Andrea has been a strong public voice in Vancouver for over two decades, as a Vancouver Councillor, Metro Vancouver Director, and a school trustee, with a focus on making government easy to access and giving people the tools to hold power accountable.
After leaving public office in 2018 she was awarded a Loeb Fellowship at Harvard’s Graduate School of Design in recognition of her civic leadership and now teaches about navigating power structures at UBC, SFU and the Public Policy Institute. In addition, in 2020 Andrea founded Tawaw Strategies, a consultancy that advises local governments, First Nations, non-profits and mission driven local businesses willing to take courageous action on bold policy initiatives.
