YWCA and Mac are partnering to help pregnant people experiencing homelessness get beds and care

Early in the pandemic, staff at the YWCA of Hamilton observed a new and emerging" trend: a growing number of pregnant people experiencing homelessness looking for support, services and a place to stay.

We were worried about the implications of that," said operations director Medora Uppal. The risks of street-level homelessness ... are elevated for pregnant people and then for any newborns."

Over the last 18 months, the pandemic has both illuminated and exacerbated the risks of being pregnant and precariously housed, putting increased pressure on health-care and social-services systems, as well as creating more barriers to accessing services.

But Uppal said this issue is not new. Pregnant individuals have always been prevalent in violence-against-women shelters, it wasn't necessarily typical in the homeless services."

McMaster University has partnered with the YWCA on an initiative to focus on the need for integrated, low-barrier reproductive health-care and pregnancy services" among Hamilton's homeless.

One of the things we're trying to do is to think about research in action, rather than disconnect the research from the action," said James Gillett, associate dean of graduate studies and research with the faculty of social sciences.

In the spring, the team developed recommendations, including prioritizing permanent housing for pregnant people, dedicated funding for an outreach worker to help navigate systems and bringing reproductive health care to the people who need it.

Now, the challenge is to implement them across the city's networks.

Uppal said the short-term goal is to get people in need appropriate health-care services and safe housing.

We have people who are without access to any place to stay because everywhere is full all the time," she said. You have to design and designate space as a priority space for people who are homeless and pregnant."

A long-term strategy involves access to permanent housing, health care and support services for people at all stages," she said. This includes contraception and access to abortion and support after a miscarriage.

Gillett said they hope that these recommendations can be adopted by systems outside of Hamilton.

This isn't a problem that's just facing Hamilton," he said. It's a problem that is facing cities and even rural areas ... all over the place."

Kate McCullough is a Hamilton-based reporter covering education at The Spectator. Reach her via email: kmccullough@thespec.com