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Although the association between child sexual abuse (CSA) and homelessness among women is well documented, few studies have investigated this topic from a feminist standpoint, examining the impact of sociocultural factors such as rape culture. Based on a qualitative life course approach, individual interviews were conducted with 21 women who experienced both CSA and homelessness. Participants were between 29 to 60 years old (M = 45 years of age). Analyses revealed that CSA disclosure experiences were characterized by victim-blaming and disbelief. Women's traumatic experiences were further aggravated by these types of reactions. Finally, CSA and negative social reactions to women's disclosures of CSA were perceived as the onset of social exclusion, which lead to their homelessness. This study shows how traumatic CSA experiences and negative social reactions to their disclosure can both contribute to social exclusion and isolation, and to homelessness through the internalization of rape myths. These findings support the importance of focusing on CSA prevention to reduce social exclusion and homelessness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article presents part of the results of a study carried out in eight administrative regions of Quebec (Canada) where 46 women who had experienced IPV and homelessness in the 5 years preceding the research share their experience through life course in-depth interviews. It focuses mainly on the main structural barriers encountered by women when leaving a context of violence, barriers that appear to have contributed to (re)producing or exacerbating situations of homelessness. It mainly shows that: 1. the lack of response to childhood abuse and instability upon leaving the child protective service creates a context for a transition to homelessness and the experience of a first violent relationship. 2. Under-detection of coercive control limits women's ability to leave the abusive relationship and access safe and stable living conditions and 3. The lack of access to stable housing or to assistance and accommodation resources adapted to certain conditions or in underserved regions keeps women in violent contexts or produces situations of homelessness. The findings of this study raising the need to 1) develop homelessness prevention policies that employ an intersectional gender-based analysis and approach 2) implant a trauma-informed approach in the field of homelessness to consider the impact of violence on women's health, well-being, and living conditions and 3) develop innovative strategies to combat all form of violence that contribute to preventing homelessness in women. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]