There is little research on banning practices in emergency shelters in British Columbia and Canada. Using critical methodology, this exploratory research surveyed emergency shelter workers in British Columbia on their banning practices and alternatives to banning. It was found that banning is understood by workers as a last resort and yet is used weekly. This frequently used last resort is influenced by systemic factors (funding constraints which undermine staffing levels, training, and time available to spend with one person/event of conflict) and is often justified by safety, though safety (and its sibling term, violence) was not defined; it appears that not every ban is for the purpose of immediate personal protection. The results of this research demonstrate the need for a BC Housing-wide reporting and review process on every shelter ban that occurs so as to better understand who is not being served by the shelter system and, therefore, amend and hold policy
accountable accordingly.
