When the YW Kitchener Waterloo (YWKW) announced that they would be closing the women’s shelter at 84 Frederick St. on June 30, 2024, many in the community worried that there would be an even larger gap in an already overburdened shelter system.
The YWKW shelter on Frederick St. was the only shelter in Waterloo Region dedicated exclusively to women and gender-diverse individuals. While it was created to house up to 66 women, the shelter was frequently over capacity, with as many as a hundred women living there at one time. The YWKW believed they needed to act to better support the women using their services but recognized that many women would be left with even fewer shelter options than before.
“We know that by closing the shelter we have left a significant gap. However, we also know that the women of our community deserve better than what we gave them,” Karen Coviello, president of the board at YWKW, wrote in a recent Letter to the Editor.
Many individuals and organizations who support unhoused individuals are advocating for the implementation of immediate supports such as ensuring accessible women’s shelter beds are available across the region before this winter and developing a responsive and reflective data strategy that accounts for women’s hidden homelessness.
One individual, who has chosen to remain anonymous, created the “WR Women’s Shelter Now“ Instagram page to bring awareness to the lack of services currently available to unhoused women and gender-diverse individuals.
“We have a gender equity issue that’s so close to home and I wondered—why aren’t people more mad about this?,” the page’s author noted as the reason they created it.
The Instagram page offers a history of how we ended up with no women-only shelters in our region and stories from women experiencing homelessness. It also includes details about how to create change, such as writing to elected officials or delegating at regional council.
The page’s author hopes that by providing more information about the lack of shelter spaces and outlining actions people can take, the issue will be addressed.
“Awareness is key. When people are mad, that’s when politicians get worried. So many people out there care about this issue but just don’t know about it,” they said.
An open letter advocating for numerous actions from all levels of government was released online by Waterloo Region Community Legal Services on Aug. 7, 2024. It was signed by a network of local nonprofit organizations, leaders, academics and community advocates concerned about the growing women’s homelessness crisis unfolding in Waterloo Region.
“This came about really organically because a group of people were noticing the crisis level of women’s homelessness in Cambridge and in the region and really struggling with the lack of urgency and the lack of action around women and gender diverse people’s homelessness,” Erin Dej, an associate professor of criminology at Wilfrid Laurier University and one of the cosigners of the letter, said.
The letter’s cosigners are concerned about the “rising numbers of women seeking shelter overnight in hospital emergency rooms, as well as mothers resorting to ‘camping’ with their children due to renovictions and rent hikes that have made maintaining housing impossible.”
“The lack of shelter space forces women to make unthinkable choices. Some return to or stay in violent housing situations if they are unable to access one of 90 domestic violence shelter beds in the Region because they have nowhere else to turn,” the open letter stated.
The letter’s cosigners are asking for action from all levels of government. The three calls to action include: committing to ensuring access to women’s shelter beds across the region, developing a data strategy that accounts for women’s homelessness and shelter availability, and prioritizing the use of unoccupied land and buildings to be made available for organizations seeking to provide support to women experiencing homelessness.
While this issue is not new, women’s homelessness is of growing concern.
“Seven per cent of women in Canada have experienced hidden homelessness at some point in their lives,” The Women’s National Housing and Homelessness Network (WNHHN) states on their website.
While much work is required to build out a robust shelter system locally, men have more access to services than women and gender diverse people.
“There are already several men’s shelters. Women and gender-diverse individuals deserve as many options as men,” the anonymous author of the WR Women’s Shelter Now page said.
Sanguen Health Centre provides wrap around support to members of the community who have been marginalized and have similarly noted a lack of resources for women.
“When conducting outreach, Sanguen has been able to direct men to shelters, but have only been able to give women a sleeping bag and a tent,” Julie Kalbfleisch, director of fundraising and communications at Sanguen, said.
Cambridge is of particular concern as it has been without any emergency shelter for women, including co-ed options, since The Bridges shelter transitioned from a co-ed space to a men’s-only shelter during the pandemic. The Bridges staff would often send women looking for shelter to the YWKW shelter.
However, many women are reluctant to leave their personal support systems behind.
“For many women, support means being close to familiar faces, services, and communities. They may also have children staying with relatives and cannot uproot and move to another city,” wrote the letter’s authors.
There has been some recent good news for Cambridge with the announcement that a new 20-bed emergency shelter for women will open in the city later this year. The shelter will operate 24/7 and offer wraparound supports. However, this is a temporary measure, operating out of Grace Bible Chapel.
“The shelter will be considered temporary because there are plans for a more permanent solution in Cambridge, although there is no timeline for that as of yet,” Kim Decker, CEO of the YWCA Cambridge, said.
As for 84 Frederick St., more work needs to be done before it can welcome new residents. The region must complete building renovations, gather Request for Proposal submissions and evaluate bids before 84 Frederick St. can reopen.
While the needed large-scale changes to the system must be implemented via government action, the open letter outlines several actions individuals can take to support the creation of more shelter spaces. The letter encourages people to educate themselves, sign the change.org petition urging Waterloo Region to establish an interim women’s emergency shelter, raise awareness and stay engaged in local meetings and community discussions.
“The network of support for women experiencing homelessness in Waterloo Region is in danger of collapse, and we need urgent action now. Until there are appropriate and sustainable solutions in place, we are and will continue to advocate,” the open letter concludes.
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