I'm hearing from a lot of women in my community. They're saying that they would rather live in their cars than in the current shelter system. They've told me directly that the violence and active drug use that goes on within the shelter system deters them from going to these shelters. This is particularly difficult for women with children who don't want to expose their kids to unsafe environments and for vulnerable seniors.
In your experience, have you seen active drug use and violence within shelters as a barrier for women in these situations?