Emergency shelter in Cambridge reaches capacity, forced to turn people away

A women’s shelter in Cambridge says they have had to turn down dozens of requests for help. CTV’s Karis Mapp explains why.

A shelter for women and gender-diverse people in Cambridge, Ont. has had to turn people away due to an overwhelming need for support.

Since the time the shelter opened in February in the basement of Grace Bible Church on Grand Avenue South, the YWCA-owned space has operated at full capacity.

“There hasn’t been a space in Cambridge for unhoused women,” Ken Decker, YWCA Cambridge CEO, explained. “We knew that there would be women who would be looking for spaces and that it would fill up quickly.”

The facility currently offers 20 beds.

In the last eight weeks, Decker said they have had 77 requests for space that couldn’t be accommodated.

“It doesn’t mean that that was 77 individual women, but 77 requests for space. And it could be the same woman who calls one or two or three days in a row,” Decker said.

Since opening earlier this year, the organization has helped at least five women find permanent housing arrangements.

“We continue to work with women where they’re at and work with them on what their housing goals are as individuals,” Decker said.

When someone is turned away from a shelter, they can contact First Connect, the Region of Waterloo’s system used to track those in need.

“The only other thing that we can do is refer them to the space at 84 Frederick [Street in Kitchener], which is an emergency shelter as well for unhoused women,” Decker said.

“That is the only option that we have right now in the region.”

The community room at 84 Frederick Street has been operating as an overnight shelter since December of last year. There is space for up to 47 women, but the building is undergoing renovations.

It is owned by the Region of Waterloo and operated by Services and Housing in the Province (SHIP). According to the organization’s website, renovations are scheduled to be finished later this fall and will provide 66 beds.

For now, the shelter at Grace Bible Church will continue helping as many people as they can while they search for a more permanent home.

“We’ve been looking for almost three years,” Decker said.

Other spaces for women

While there are other options for unhoused women in the region, certain criteria must be met.

For example, Women’s Crisis Services of Waterloo Region (WCSWR) has 90 beds for women experiencing domestic violence.

“It’s really important that people feel safe,” said WCSWR CEO Jennifer Hutton.

“The women and gender diverse individuals that we serve, they need to have safe spaces because many of them, if not all of them for what we do, have experienced trauma in their background.”

Work is being done to address the systemic gaps leaving some of the most vulnerable community members out in the cold, but organizers say it’s not going to happen overnight.

“It’s no one’s fault. It’s the system that we have right now. It’s tough for folks who are working in shelters to turn folks away,” said Decker. “You carry that with you when someone is so desperate to find a space.”