A new report on women and poverty in Canada paints a dire picture of this country's "hidden" homeless in which a lack of beds at shelters forces women to resort to "survival sex" just to find a place to sleep. Photograph by: Andy Clark/Reuters , National Post

A new report on women and poverty in Canada paints a dire picture of this country's "hidden" homeless in which a lack of beds at shelters forces women to resort to "survival sex" just to find a place to sleep.

The report, released Tuesday by the YWCA, calls for an increase in the number of women-only shelters and support programs around the country.

"There hasn't been much action in building permanent housing for women and alleviating the ordeals and abuse they go through," said Paulette Senior, CEO of YWCA Canada.

Women face a severe housing shortage in Northern Canada and across the country the number of homeless women continues to rise, said the report, entitled, "'When There's No Place like Home' A Snapshot of Women's Homelessness in Canada."

Government money given to women to support themselves barely covers the cost of monthly rent, often forcing them onto the streets in order to save money for other necessities, says the report.

The rent allotments within social assistance generally do not meet the actual cost of rent, the report said, leaving many women to choose between either paying for a place to live or covering essentials, such as food and medication.

Further, a shortage of beds at shelters has resulted in more women being turned away and pushed back to the streets.

As a result of the lack of shelter space, women are increasingly forced to use "survival sex" — a type of prostitution and hidden homelessness where women trade sexual favours for a place to sleep for the night. Along with survival sex, many women couch surf between friends' and families' homes — generally with those who exploit and abuse them — in order to avoid the streets. These trends increase rates of sexual assault, and overall health and psychological issues, the report's authors conclude.

But those women who do manage to pay rent make more trips to the food bank, the report found. Between 2001 to 2011, food banks across Canada said 47 per cent of visitors were women, girls and their children.

Accordingly, the report calls for more shelters solely for women and the creation of more outreach programs to help women before they are forced to turn to the streets.

Caitlin Tumey, a client-care worker at Ottawa shelters, said that being downtown is the worst place for feeding addictions.

"They all do not want to be there but that is the choice they have been faced with," said Tumey.

Eric Desjardins, a front-line worker at Ottawa shelters, said there is a need for more beds, but a greater need for more people to mediate between those in need and the programs offered.

"There is a need for more beds but therapies and programs should take priority," said Desjardins.

"The real need is for more case workers," he added. "They are the ones who refer people to appropriate services and programs. They are continually short staffed and many go without the proper attention."

gtieman@postmedia.com