The 'home' is a contested site for many women. Women living in poverty and using illicit drugs are largely excluded from participation in traditional 'home-based' gender roles of wife and mother, due primarily to economic disadvantage. Using grounded theory methodology within a poststructuralist feminist framework, I conducted in-depth, open-ended interviews with 11 women living in the Toronto area.The women I interviewed were very mobile and experienced constant change with regards to home. The theory challenges existing definitions of homelessness. The theoretical, practice, and policy implications of the findings are discussed in detail.Through the data analysis process, I developed a substantive theory of 'making home' for women living in poverty and using illicit drugs based on emerging concepts. The central concept of making home is a continual process of learning about and interacting with the environment. Participants developed different meanings of home grounded in their particular experiences and knowledge.