This thesis examines the origins and function of Vancouver Transition House as an agent of role change and of social change. It is based on observations made during a three-year period as a member of the Transition House staff collective, on formal and informal interviews with the founders, staff, and residents of the house, and on Stephenson's, Garden's, and Freeman's studies of the new feminist movement. The work commences with a discussion of the growth of the women's movement in Vancouver to a stage where the need for social action was understood to be necessary. The effort of the society formed to found the house is then delineated. It is noted that involvement with that group created changes in self-concept and inter-personal relationships similar to those described by Stephenson as occurring in the founders of the original Vancouver women's groups (Stephenson, 1975). The operation of the house and the role of the staff are detailed. There follows an analysis of the transition process undergone by residents, focussing on the importance of a milieu controlled and inhabited exclusively by women in facilitating this process. It is noted that changes in self-concept and in interpersonal relationships, again similar to those experienced by women involved in feminist groups, do occur, but that these may not be sustained after the period of residency without changes in the social context. Recommendations for change in the legal and social systems necessary to sustain individual chang accorded to by a group of transition house workers from refuges throughout North America, are examined. The author concludes that such recommendations demand extended social change, and notes the necessity of recognition of the value of work done by women, and of equality of responsibility in the domestic and public spheres. Until these conditions prevail, women's powereto control institutions and bring about fundamental social change will be limited. / Arts, Faculty of / Sociology, Department of / Graduate

For over two decades, the inclusion of trans women in women’s spaces and organizations such as transition houses has been discussed and debated by women-only organizations, feminists, trans activists, and the broader public. Drawing on an interpretive description approach, my research examines the experiences of transition house counsellors (“counsellors”) who have worked with trans women accessing residential support. My research topic and questions emerged from my experience as a counsellor and are informed by a desire to better meet the needs of trans women affected by intimate partner violence (“IPV”), and to help fill gaps in available research, information, and practical resources to help service providers meet the needs of trans women affected by IPV. Specifically, my research questions are: (1) what challenges, opportunities, and insights do counsellors experience when working with trans women clients, and (2) how do counsellors adjust and adapt their practices in response to these challenges, opportunities, and insights when working with trans women accessing transition house support? Using purposive sampling, I recruited nine counsellors who have worked with trans women accessing transition house support. Data collection involved semi-structured in-depth-interviews of these participants to gain an understanding of their experiences and perspectives related to working with trans women accessing transition house support. Consistent with an interpretive description approach to research, I analyzed my data by drawing on both my experience as a counsellor and through thematic qualitative analysis. My research finds that participants unanimously supported the inclusion of trans women in transition house settings. While the majority of participants emphatically stated that they did not respond to trans women any differently than they did to cis women, my findings show that how participants responded to trans women was informed by how well they perceived a trans client’s gender expression to match her gender identity. As such, my analysis reveals that participants’ responses to trans women was mediated by their unconscious adoption of a broader dominant heteronormative cisgenderist IPV framework that operates at both an individual and institutional level. My research therefore highlights some of the limitations that affect trans women accessing transition house support when counsellors and organizations respond to IPV through a heteronormative cisgenderist framework. / Graduate