Our Research

As part our mission to improve the lives of women, girls, Two Spirit, and gender diverse people, YWCA Halifax is committed to conducting meaningful, intersectional research to shed light on pressing issues of gender justice and promote action.

Some key topics you will find in our research below include: sexual exploitation and human trafficking, intimate partner violence, the importance of safe housing, and workplace safety for women and gender diverse people.

YWCA Halifax Research

When the Roof Falls In: How Violence Impacts Housing Stability
April 13, 2021
“When the Roof Falls In” is a 2020 to 2021 collaborative research project between four partnership organizations that identifies intersections of gender-based violence and housing insecurity. Through partnership focus groups, in-depth interviews with eleven frontline workers, and a meaning making session with participants and stakeholders, the project identified four dominant themes related to housing insecurity for women experiencing violence…
Read More
Hearing Them: Sex Work and Sexual Exploitation and Human Trafficking in Nova Scotia
April 13, 2021
A five-part paper series that works to understand, address, and prevent risk factors for the involvement of children and youth in the sex industry in Nova Scotia. Research is based on wide scale consultations that took place with 149 adults with past or present lived experience in the sex industry…
Read More
My Voice Matters: Impact of Emergency Funds for Gender-based Violence Survivors
March 12, 2021
YWCA Halifax provides emergency funds for women escaping violence across Nova Scotia. The My Voice Matters project with Be the Peace Institute interviewed 30 fund recipients to gather their perspectives on best practices and needed reforms to best support survivors of gender-based violence…
Read More
Home for Good: Research Report
April 13, 2020
Published in 2018, The Home for Good project is a three-year collaboration between four organizations who serve women experiencing housing insecurity. This report highlights how gender affects women’s efforts to move from supportive housing to market or public housing. We demonstrate how concerns such as finances and safety are inherently gendered. The barriers to achieving housing security are gendered but the system designed to provide housing are not designed as such…
Read More