'Cambridge is a service desert;' YWCA seeks support for women's shelter

It doesn't take long to count the number of emergency shelter beds designated for women in Cambridge.

Because there aren't any.

It's a crisis the YWCA Cambridge has been fighting to bring to the forefront for some time.

Finally, the organization's work has resulted in a proposal heading before the region's Community and Health Services Committee tomorrow seeking support for a women’s emergency homeless shelter in the 2024 budget and its Plan to End Chronic Homelessness. 

Part of the proposal includes $1,441,717.00 for ongoing operating funding for a 24-hour-a-day, seven day a week, 20-bed responsive space.

The money would help fund six full-time shelter staff, eight part-time staff and one full time staff for food services, a mental health and addictions counsellor, programming and transition support, outreach and transition support and a manager.

The proposal is accompanied by a 78 page research report on the issue that sheds a disturbing light on what many women and gender-diverse individuals are facing.

"I think Cambridge and Waterloo region have an opportunity to set an example," Jennifer Gordon, manager of advocacy for the YWCA Cambridge who helped lead the report, said.

"We can make sure this continues to see light where decisions are being made. This is the closest we've been to a women's shelter."

While the planning remains in an "elementary stage," according to Gordon, approval of the proposal by council would be a critical step toward making it a reality.

The Women’s Homelessness in Cambridge: Knowledge Sharing & Interventions report crafted by the YWCA Cambridge builds off the work of the 2022 Project Willow Report, Don’t Tell Them You’re Homeless, which captured the voices of 61 women and gender-diverse individuals experiencing or recently having experienced homelessness in the region.

Through surveys and informational interviews with non-profit and public sector leaders in the community, the YWCA's report painted a fuller picture of the issues impacting Cambridge specifically, including that of "hidden homelessness."

Women experiencing homelessness often don't come forward for fear of violence, family situations involving children or feelings of shame.

According to the Women’s National Homelessness and Housing Network, seven per cent of women will experience hidden homelessness in their lives. Applying those numbers to the city's current population, it equates to 5,089 women who are or have experienced it.

"It’s hard to make a point when you can't say there's X number of people impacted because a lot of women are hiding," Gordon said.

"Homelessness is often looked at through the men's experience. Doing interviews with women who were utilizing emergency services and accessing services in Cambridge, it was emotional."

The other core issue is looking at the housing continuum and how shelter spaces and transitional housing factor in.

Waterloo region currently has 562 adult shelter beds, 85 of which are in Cambridge with zero dedicated to women. Overall, just 78 of those spaces, or 13.8 per cent, are for women. The remaining beds are designated for men or co-ed living situations, which Gordon said women are known to avoid due to negative experiences.

None of the 38 transitional beds in the region are located in Cambridge.

And it's a similar situation for supportive housing as 86 beds in the region are designated for women but zero are in the city.

It's a severe lack of resources considering Cambridge makes up 26.8 per cent of the region's urban population according to Stats Canada.

For Rosalind Gunn, the director of communications and advocacy for YWCA Cambridge, the report and proposal are critical to informing the community about the crisis it finds itself in.

"Cambridge is a service desert for women experiencing homelessness," Gunn said.

"We're saying the quiet part out loud. The knowledge isn't where it should be and it's time we give a damn."

Gunn said the main goal in all of this is gathering more support from the community and various levels of government in hopes of prompting action.

"Short term it's improving the communities understanding of the extent of the issue," she said.

"The biggest thing is getting this shelter but that's just step one. It's about the whole housing continuum. We need more affordable housing and rent-geared to income."

To view the entire YWCA Cambridge report click here.