Invisible Homelessness

Welcome to Mamas for Mamas Invisible Homelessness campaign. This transformative initiative is dedicated to addressing homelessness among caregivers and their children, tackling both relative and absolute homelessness. Relative homelessness refers to those living in inadequate housing conditions, while absolute homelessness involves individuals lacking any form of shelter.

Homelessness is more than just a lack of shelter—it’s an obstacle to health, stability, and opportunities. Our campaign is committed to creating sustainable solutions that provide not only housing but also the necessary support systems to help families thrive. By focusing on advocacy, community engagement, and strategic partnerships, we aim to build a future where every caregiver and child has a safe and stable place to call home.

Join us on this journey to make a lasting impact and help us create a brighter tomorrow for families everywhere.

Absolute Homelessness

This term refers to individuals and families who live without any physical shelter or permanent residence. It includes those who are sleeping rough on the streets, staying in emergency shelters, or residing in places not meant for human habitation, such as abandoned buildings, vehicles, or encampments. Absolute homelessness is the most visible and extreme form of homelessness, characterized by a complete lack of stable housing.

Relative Homelessness

Relative homelessness refers to individuals and families whose current living conditions do not meet basic health and safety standards. This might include situations where people are living in overcrowded accommodation, dwellings that are in poor condition, or temporary settings such as couch surfing with friends or family due to lack of other options. Although they have some form of shelter, their living situation is precarious and lacks permanency, security, and stability.

Since 2014 Mamas for Mamas has helped house and prevent homelessness for

~117,000 families

To understand how a mom with a newborn and a toddler can end up living in their car in a place like Canada in 2024, we must first understand how we see poverty and the lines that define it.

Our current system doesn’t reflect the cost of living per capita when determining these poverty cut-off lines, therefore leaving thousands of Mamas in the Okanagan at a disadvantage due to their perceived adequate income as compared to a national average. This is compounded by pervasive misunderstandings of accessibility, affordability and eligibility for subsidised/low-income housing.

The income line is too low for most to be eligible, and when they are eligible the waitlists can span years. As we know, the interim options available for $1000 a month are akin to relative homelessness.

Read the full article here Donate

“

“Today I call upon all of you, every global citizen, not to forget. We must seize this opportunity to demonstrate
that we share a common humanity and that it matters who my sister or brother is. We must never reduce the issue to statistics.”

-Nelson Mandela.

Absolute Homelessness

Relative Homelessness

~117,000 families

Mamas Fire Relief Support