This research project was conducted in affiliation with Thompson Rivers University (TRU) and the Kamloops & District Elizabeth Fry Society; as part of the TRU community development research grant. The goal was to gain deeper insight into how recovery houses and resource hubs could help women who have been criminalized.
To begin, a literature review was conducted on women experiencing criminalization and their needs and concerns. Through this review, five main themes emerged. These were the overrepresentation of Indigenous women, the fragmentation of their healthcare experiences, the need to re-negotiate their relationships, the challenges of community reintegration, and additional barriers such as employment and housing. Consideration is given to two subsets of this population, older women and transgender or gender variant women. Consideration is also given to the impact that the COVID-19 pandemic has on women who have been criminalized.
Second, a literature review was conducted regarding recovery houses and the benefits and challenges within. Some key points are the principles of Housing First, the importance of women-only space, complications of safety and surveillance, and the tensions with substance use and harm reduction.
Third, a literature review was conducted on the existence of resource hubs. Due to their limited nature, this review was expanded internationally. Key points of this section are the benefits and challenges that accompany multi-agency partnerships and the need to prioritize collaboration, flexibility, and client-centred care.
The information shared in these three sections is then compiled into a list of recommendations that mirror the five themes of concern for women experiencing criminalization. The vision of the recovery house and the resource hub is to work collaboratively to address these five areas of a woman's life, to provide holistic care, and to ensure no woman falls through the gap.
