Safe Haven

There are few rules at Savard's. Women may come and go as they wish, and referrals to other services are made only when a woman has indicated interest in taking action on her own behalf. It is a model that aims to provide a safe haven for the chronically homeless. Urban anthropologist Rae Bridgman, in careful and intimate detail, explores the perspectives of the women who work and live at Savard's, a unique shelter for homeless women. In this groundbreaking Canadian study, Bridgman uses the design and development of one particular shelter - a housing model developed by women for women - as an opportunity to document Savard's original vision and what happened once the project opened. Safe Haven traces the evolution of this type of shelter, showing multiple ways of presenting long-term research that provides qualitative and useful information for researchers, policy-makers, service providers, and activists. Featuring many hours of participant observation as well as narratives, analysis, and poetic fragments, Safe Haven emerges with a distinct picture of the chronically homeless and those on the frontlines of this lifesaving service.

Rae Bridgman is associate dean (Research) and an associate professor in the Department of City Planning at the University of Manitoba.