I think it's a mistake to think about this as a homogeneous population. These are individual women with individual needs. They're often the leaders of families. What's challenging about homelessness in Canada, especially for women, is that we don't actually know.... When you look at mainstream homeless shelters, you can see that women are about 20% of the population. You'll find indigenous women disproportionately represented among that population.
The challenge we find is that women are often tracked between multiple systems. Some can get into the domestic violence system and some can't, and some are in the homeless system. Many will avoid both systems because they don't want to lose their children. They are trapped in multiple systems. Some are trapped in sexual exploitation. As a profile, it's tough to say, and it varies, but I think you will find that indigenous women are disproportionately represented.
As well among women, you will find significant trauma and mental health needs and, along with that, significant addiction concerns, but what's most concerning and most challenging is what we don't know in Canada about homelessness and housing instability for women.