The right to safe housing

_{All quotes provided by WISH staff.}

We are facing a housing crisis that is brutally affecting lower income folks. 

Everyone in this country is equally entitled to access safe, secure, and affordable housing but the available options can be unsafe, unhealthy, or extremely expensive. On Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside entire buildings have been lost, and leases are ending for temporary modular housing units across the city.

For street-based sex workers, the criminalization of their labour makes securing and maintaining adequate housing especially difficult.

Being able to work with WISH’s InReach Workers and dedicated Housing Support Worker — receiving support that is free of sex work stigma — makes a huge difference for unhoused or precariously housed participants. 

One of the biggest barriers is just not being able to say straight up “I’m a sex worker” when someone asks for your source of income.

It’s an impossible situation. To apply for housing, you need proof of income, but by declaring your source of income as sex work you are likely to be excluded by discriminatory landlords and housing providers.

This can also complicate matters for someone receiving income assistance and seeking market housing. In most situations, there is a significant gap between the Ministry’s housing allowance and the actual cost of rent. For example, a single adult receiving $500 per month for housing, when applying to rent a micro studio for $900/month, must provide proof of income for the $400 difference.

For those who have secured housing, increasingly strict guest policies from many housing providers limit who you can invite into your home, when, and how often. Sex workers may have to choose between working more safely indoors or being able to socialize with friends and family within their own home.

WISH is supporting street-based sex workers who are constantly facing the stigma and the challenges of navigating a world that treats them as criminals.

It isn’t enough to simply apply for supportive housing. Housing success requires a lot of follow-up, and having support from an someone with experience navigating the system can help a lot.

WISH’s Housing Support Worker is in regular communication with local housing providers and attends roundtable discussions to advocate for participants when new opportunities become available.

The individualized support provided also helps WISH participants navigate pre-application requirements, like filing their taxes, obtaining ID, or opening a bank account.

Having a team that is able to provide 1-to-1 support to active sex workers means folks do not have to worry about what will happen if they disclose they are sex workers – that is what we are here for.

Housing is an important social determinant of health and well-being. A lack of safe and affordable housing negatively impacts our physical and mental health, but equitable access improves it, and greater housing stability leads to better long-term results.

When cis and trans women, Two-Spirit, Non-Binary and gender diverse sex workers access personalized, caring, and non-judgmental housing support at WISH, they experience greater housing stability. Through the trusting relationships formed with staff, WISH participants can access the support they need when they looking for a place to live, or trying to prevent housing loss.

The housing crisis is often looked at in terms of what can be counted: how many people were housed, fought an eviction, moved into a temporary shelter, or transferred from one place to another. It’s a lot harder to express the emotional toll of living without safe, stable, and secure housing.  

We need real affordable housing for folks to live with dignity, so they find the peace that they deserve.

The WISH Shelter is the only shelter in the country for street-based sex workers, operating 24/7, providing a stable place to live, with no curfew or end date.

WISH’s InReach Team, which includes a dedicated Housing Support Worker, works 1-to-1 with participants, providing individualized support through reliable and respectful service delivery.

You can support these critical programs, and the right to safe housing, by donating to WISH today.

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