This International Women’s Day, the theme #GiveToGain invites us to imagine a gender-equal world — one free of bias, discrimination, and systemic barriers. Achieving that vision requires the foundations that allow women to live safely and with dignity: safety, housing, and stability.

For many women experiencing homelessness, inequality is not abstract. It is lived every day. Women’s homelessness is often hidden, shaped by gender-based violence, economic inequity, caregiving responsibilities, and the impossible choice between unsafe housing and no housing at all. Too many women remain in harmful situations simply to keep a roof over their children’s heads.

If we want to gain gender equality, we must be willing to give something meaningful in return.

That is why partnerships that create safe, stable housing for women and families matter. Through collaboration with YWCA Greater Vancouver, Streetohome Foundation has helped create spaces where women and their children can rebuild their lives.

YWCA Pacific Spirit Terrace, the more recent of Streetohome’s two collaborations with YWCA Greater Vancouver in Killarney/Champlain Heights provides 31 units of family housing for single mothers and their children — offering a stable foundation for families to heal and move forward.

YWCA Cause We Care House, developed with the City of Vancouver and the Vancouver Public Library, provides 21 units of supportive housing for women fleeing violence or at risk of homelessness, with access to community resources and support.

These homes represent what becomes possible when we invest in women’s stability and wellbeing.

When we give women safety, we gain stronger families.
When we give stability, we gain healthier futures for children.
When we provide trauma-informed support, we build resilience that strengthens communities.

This International Women’s Day, let’s move beyond celebration and toward action — because when women have homes, support, and opportunity, we all gain.