Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Social Work (DSW)
Department
Social Work
Program Name/Specialization
Community, Policy, Planning and Organizations
Faculty/School
Lyle S. Hallman Faculty of Social Work
First Advisor
Dr. Lea Caragata
Advisor Role
Supervisor
Abstract
This dissertation presents the racial-gendered lived experiences of Black women living in Toronto Community Housing (TCH; subsidized housing). This research found that Black women and their families are disproportionately faced with challenges due to barriers caused by housing policy and procedures that also affect the overall development and wellbeing of their children. It also highlights the ways in which Black women continue to thrive and survive in the face of detrimental and derelict living conditions; accomplished through community development and support initiatives, and fostering strong communities.
This is a qualitative research project that includes an art-based method. Utilizing a feminist participatory action research approach (Reid, Tom & Frisby, 2006), and a Black geographic lens (McKittrick & Woods, 2007), I and 20 co-researchers detail the realities and challenges Black families face by way of TCH policies and procedures. Twenty-one women (including myself) shared their experiences with TCH, and five of these women completed a community mapping exercise. The analysis was guided by feminist political economy of place (FPEP; Parker, 2016). Five themes were developed from the research data: 1) TCH Housing Policy and Communities pose developmental risks for Black children and create parenting challenges; 2) TCH communities and policies operate to confine, police and surveil Black bodies; 3) TCH communities and policies create barriers to upward social mobility; 4) TCH Black women residents are strong, resourceful and resilient survivors; and 5) TCH Black women (re)create spaces that are supportive, constructive, and loving. This dissertation presents recommendations and an action plan to improve the lives of the co-researchers and their families, alongside other TCH families.
Recommended Citation
Ewan, Anita Rachel, "Exploring the Relationship Between Gender, Race, and Space, and Toronto Community Housing Policy" (2020). Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive). 2325.
https://scholars.wlu.ca/etd/2325
Convocation Year
2020
Convocation Season
Fall
Included in
African American Studies Commons, Community-Based Research Commons, Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Commons, Human Geography Commons, Other Geography Commons, Place and Environment Commons, Policy Design, Analysis, and Evaluation Commons, Policy History, Theory, and Methods Commons, Politics and Social Change Commons, Public Policy Commons, Race and Ethnicity Commons, Social Policy Commons, Social Work Commons, Urban Studies Commons, Urban Studies and Planning Commons