Statement of Work
Title
Planning for the Future, interpretation of concrete data to create a depiction of the reality Inuit women face when seeking safety, through words and stories.
Research has been conducted on shelter and safe space needs in Inuit Nunangat (Inuit homelands) and in urban communities. The knowledge gained revealed gaps in knowledge and understanding of the interconnectedness of the safety for women and gender diverse individuals and their children with the availability and access to safe spaces, resources, transportation, community capacity and infrastructure. This unknown gap leaves a story only partially told. It is our hope that the research we conduct will help to form a vivid picture of the experiences and challenges faced by Inuit women and gender diverse individuals seeking safety and security.
Introduction
Following decades of advocacy by Pauktuutit Inuit Women of Canada, in January 2021, the federal government announced a commitment to fund the construction and ongoing operation and management of new Inuit-specific shelters for women and children. https://www.canada.ca/en/indigenous-services-canada/news/2021/01/government-of-canada-commits-to-fund-shelters-for-inuit-women.html
The announcement reflected the high rate of violence experienced by Inuit women – 14 times the national average according to Statistics Canada, the lack of shelters for Inuit women and children fleeing violence and the need for safe spaces that are culturally based and able to provide healing and other support services to help woman successfully transition out of crisis.
The Inuit-specific shelters initiative also addresses the findings and recommendations of the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls’ inquiry report, including 46 Inuit-specific Calls for Justice. The initiative also reflects concrete action by the federal government on the Inuit Action Plan in response to the National Inquiry’s findings and recommendations, in partnership with Inuit.
Following this announcement, in February 2021, a Working Group was formed with representatives from Indigenous Services Canada (ISC), Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) and Pauktuutit to support a collaborative approach to the delivery of this initiative and a Work Plan was developed.
Violence against Inuit women is at epidemic proportions. At the rate of 14 times the national average, violence is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality for Inuit women. In 2014, 93% of victims who reported incidents of intimate partner violence (IPV) in Canada’s northern territories suffered the most severe forms of spousal violence; that is, having been beaten, choked, threatened with a weapon or sexually assaulted (Statistics Canada, 2015).
Inuit women are nearly twice as likely as Inuit men to be victims of intimate partner homicide. In Nunavik, 74% of Inuit women reported having experienced violence in the home, and almost half (46%) had experienced sexual assault. The risk of a woman being sexually assaulted in Nunavut is 12 times greater than the provincial/territorial average (Saturviit Inuit Women’s Association of Nunavik & Université Laval, 2015).
Despite Inuit Nunangat experiencing the highest rates of violence in the country, greater than 70 per cent of the 51 Inuit communities across Inuit Nunangat do not have a safe shelter for women, and often the homes of family and friends are overcrowded due to the lack of available and affordable housing. Crisis and support services, counselling services, housing support services, and transition support services are also extraordinarily limited or cease to exist.
As a result, those experiencing violence and abuse in their homes, often have no place in their community to seek safety. The lack of safety is in large part due to the lack of access to safety and/or shelters and housing options, which can force women to move thousands of kilometers from their traditional homelands to other communities or urban areas. Living in a community not your own can be tremendously isolating for Inuit. Without culturally appropriate programs and services to overcome the wide-ranging effects of trauma, many women remain unsafe and can experience other related challenges that too often lead to increased vulnerability to ongoing violence and abuse.
Purpose
The purpose of the environmental scan is to examine the shelter and support needs of Inuit women, gender diverse individuals and their children, with the goal of providing the “Real picture” of the gaps and barriers Inuit women, gender diverse individuals and their children face when fleeing violence.
It is an important area of research, as there is a scarcity of information on this topic, creating large gaps in the knowledge to translate and encapsulate Inuit women’s lived experience. Consequently, there are knowledge gaps around the realities in supports and services with viable options for this vulnerable population.
As it relates to shelter use, the proposed study will seek to gain a broad understanding as it relates to the use of and access to shelters, of the specific needs and experiences of Inuit women, gender diverse individuals and their children when seeking safety. The research will seek to ascertain what their needs truly are, as it relates to shelter facilities, communities and infrastructure.
The proposed project seeks to undertake a mixed-method research approach by utilizing existing data, surveys, and interviews. The research will adhere to strict guidelines for ethics as well as ownership and control for and by Inuit.
Goals of the overarching Project
Pauktuutit is working with Indigenous services Canada (ISC) and Canada Mortgage and Housing (CMHC) to support a project that will inform and advise the Government of Canada on Inuit women, gender diverse individuals and their children. This project aims to form a vivid picture of the experiences and challenges faced by Inuit women and gender diverse individuals seeking safety and security.
The overarching project will inform and provide a better understanding of the gender based violence impacts on Inuit women, gender diverse individuals and their children. By completing this work we will be able to:
- To provide a clear and accurate picture of the realities faced by Inuit women, gender diverse individuals and their children.
- Community needs for safe spaces in Inuit Nunangat
- Community needs for safe spaces for Inuit women in urban centres that are gateways to the north.
- To collate or create data research grounded in facts to advocate for shelters and services needed in each region, each community, while understanding the relationship between shelter needs, policing, community resources, capacity and infrastructure and the subsequent costs associated with not having these services in community.
By collecting information on each region and community we can conduct an analysis that will form an accurate picture of the challenges Inuit women, gender diverse individuals and their children face when fleeing violence. This analysis will allow translation of the “Real picture” of need in scenario’s told through fictional stories that will include “snippets” of information and real life occurrences. It is our hope that by developing the scenario’s based on the information we collect, there will be a better understanding and empathy for the needs of Inuit women. This will then translate into opportunities that will improve the lives of Inuit women, gender diverse individuals and their children.
Scope and deliverables
This is an open call to individuals, firms, or organizations to propose the development of Inuit-specific gender-based violence data research that are translated into “Real life” scenario’s that will close or lessen the data and information gap and humanize the need for accessible and culturally relevant shelters and safe spaces.
The project outcomes will help to inform Pauktuutit’s policy positioning, ensuring informed advocacy and enabling greater awareness. In addition, the report will help to support and build evidentiary data and information that could be used to support Inuit women specific initiatives, programs, policies, or proposals for external stakeholders, including Federal agencies, Inuit community entities and organizations, funding bodies and organizations.
By compiling the information and data in a unique format, we hope to have outcomes that will support and action change by leaders and decision makers who will be fully informed to make clear decisions in support of addressing the critical needs understanding the critical needs of Inuit women and their children to ensure their safety.
Research and Analysis, ensuring Inuit specific GBA+ lens is used.
The research team will conduct a series of research components to determine community infrastructure, costs and gaps, including
- Travel (costs and frequency)
- Community support services
- Housing and safe spaces
- Fiscal infrastructure
- Policing and child protection services
Inuit GBA+ Framework requires deep respect for Inuit worldview, values, and knowledge. Ensuring the framework is utilized is not a simple undertaking, requiring seeing issues in the context of Inuit sovereignty and in the light of Inuit epistemologies and worldview. This must also be done while acknowledging and accounting for that the whole person is made up of many intersecting identity factors (e.g., gender, race, class, ability, sexual orientation, culture, colonization, land claim beneficiary status) that “interact with and influence that person’s social location, the levels of privilege and oppression they experience, and how they navigate society.”[1] Research that is intersectional from the ground up and considers the whole person will contribute to equity for Inuit women.
Surveys and Interviews
A series of surveys and interviews will be developed and conducted with:
- Leadership
- Shelters
- Police services
- Child protection services
- Education and ELCC organizations
- Community support services
The surveys will be proposed for both online and in print.
- A questionnaire will be designed with multiple choice and Likert-scale questions to be taken by a wide-range of service providers representing several agencies (e.g., emergency shelters, drop-in agencies, supportive housing agencies, community-based organizations, community health centres, etc.).
- face-to-face virtual and telephone semi-structured key informant interviews with Inuit women and employees representing different types of service models including emergency shelters, emergency shelters, drop-in agencies, supportive housing agencies, community-based organizations, community health centres, etc. Key informants will be interviewed about their knowledge and experiences related to how Inuit clients are accessing and interacting with the shelter system. Service providers are anticipated to provide information and perspective gained from working with Inuit women.
Deliverables:
A comprehensive needs assessment report. The report will identify barriers impacting Inuit women’s shelter usage and the fiscal burdens. The report will include:
- Literature review of existing gap analyses/needs assessments completed in Inuit Nunangat.
- Literature review of existing gap analyses/needs assessments completed out of Inuit Nunangat.
- Comprehensive list of existing Women’s Emergency shelters and safe spaces for violence and abuse victims in Inuit Nunangat
- Comprehensive list of existing Women’s Emergency shelters and safe spaces that provide services for Inuit, for violence and abuse victims out of Inuit Nunangat in nine urban centres.
- Analysis of Key informant research
- Land Claim Organizations
- Urban Inuit organizations
- Prov/Territorial Gov (Inuit Nunangat and Gateway provinces/Territories)
- Hamlets/towns (Inuit Nunangat)
- Shelters
- Policing and child protection agencies
- Community support programs and services
- Education and ELCC services
- Community demographics review (all Inuit Nunangat communities and nine urban centres)
- Transportation and flight services review (all Inuit Nunangat communities and nine urban centres)
- 7-10 stories depicting the realities women face when confronting violence and accessing safe spaces, including costing scenario.
A comprehensive workplan, critical path, risk management document, and various other documents required for effective project management between Pauktuutit and the contractor.
It is important for applicants to demonstrate an understanding of Inuit culture, the traditional and evolving nuances of Inuit women’s roles, in addition to the indicators unique to Inuit women. It is important that indicators ensure equitable consideration of all Inuit women.
Applicants must also have extensive experience working with Inuit and Inuit led organizations. They must possess effective communication skills and methodology and have the proven expertise to produce culturally relevant work.
Timeline
The duration of the contract will be from July 11, 2022 to Feb 28, 2023.
- Bids accepted until June 15, 2022;
- Contract begins July 11, 2022;
- Contract ends February 28, 2023.
Pauktuutit’s Roles and Responsibilities
The primary contact at Pauktuutit for this project is Natalie Chafe-Yuan (nchafe-yuan@pauktuutit.ca). Pauktuutit commits to providing the information and materials necessary to complete the work and will respond to requests for information promptly.
Pauktuutit will provide all applicants with a final decision within five business days following the submission deadline.
Confidentiality, Privacy and Copyright
The successful applicant shall not disclose to any party any confidential information gained or resulting from activities undertaken under this project, nor shall the applicant disclose any information concerning Pauktuutit or their affairs while working on this project.
Pauktuutit and the successful applicant will agree to acknowledge and accord appropriate credit for each other’s contribution to this project, including any products developed and disseminated as a result. Both parties will agree on how credit is attributed, depending on the nature and degree of each organization’s contribution.
Pauktuutit retains ownership of all materials and intellectual property created, designed, or produced because of activities undertaken by the successful applicant when awarded this project.
The successful applicant will generate original work for this project.
Proposal Instructions
- Applicants must submit their company name, and confirm their incorporation, references, and/or portfolio;
- Submit by email to nchafe-yuan@pauktuutit.ca;
- All submissions must be in Word or PDF format; and
- Estimates/budgets must remain firm until Feb 28, 2023.
No payment will be made for costs incurred in the preparation and submission of a proposal in response to this RFP;
- No costs incurred before receipt of a signed contract can be charged to the proposed contract;
- Travel that may be required will be separate from this scope of work budget and will be paid for by Pauktuutit; and,
- Pauktuutit reserves the right not to award a contract because of this RFP.
Budget
The proposal must include:
- A detailed budget and demonstrates the objectives and deliverables for the project can be met;
- Indicate the billing rate and role for consultant(s);
- List any other expenses that might be applicable; and.
- The total bid MUST include 13% HST tax.
Rights of the Organization
Pauktuutit reserves the right to:
- Enter negotiations with one or more bidders on any or all aspects of this proposal;
- Accept any proposal in whole or in part;
- Cancel and/or re-issue this requirement at any time;
- Award one or more contracts; and
- verify any or all information provided by the bidder regarding this requirement.
Contact Information
Please direct the application to:
Natalie Chafe-Yuan
Director of Policy and Research
Pauktuutit Inuit Women of Canada
520 – 1 Nicholas St., Ottawa ON K1N 7B7
Nchafe-Yuan@pauktuutit.ca