Keeping families together: Addressing father absence in supportive family housing in Vancouver's downtown eastside

This paper explores fathers' exclusion from supportive family housing programs in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside (DTES). Despite the established benefits of supportive housing for families, recent studies reveal a trend of restricting services to mothers and children. Through an environmental scan and expert interviews, this research identified three key barriers to fathers' inclusion: societal gender norms, concerns for women's safety, and inadequate funding. The absence of fathers in programs strains parental relationships, disproportionately places child-rearing responsibilities on the mothers, and increases the risk of child apprehension. Three policy options are proposed and analyzed using a multi-criteria analysis. Recommendations include establishing new gender-inclusive housing units in the DTES and creating a working group to formulate best practices in supportive family housing that ensure women's safety while promoting inclusivity. These initiatives aim to challenge gender norms, support equitable division of parenting, and enhance the effectiveness of family preservation in supportive family housing programs.