Where are the women's shelters? (pt.1)
How did we get here? 84 Frederick St
On June 20th, Regional Council approved the purchase of 84 Frederick Street, in downtown Kitchener, which was previously home to Mary’s Place shelter operated by the YW-Kitchener Waterloo (YWKW). The YWKW announced that by the end of June they were closing the shelter which has been operating at that location for over 50 years.
“The frank reality is, we’ve outgrown that space. The building requires a lot of capital infrastructure to support it, and it’s not designed to meet the complex needs of the clients we support,” says YWKW CEO Jennifer Breaton.
As of January 2024, the Region had 605 beds, including emergency shelters, motels and transitional housing. That’s an increase from 2018 when there were 254 beds. Mary’s Place was home to 66 of those beds.
While the number of beds has increased in recent years, so, too has the need. According to the EngageWR site, “As of February 2024, we estimate that 558 individuals are experiencing chronic homelessness in Waterloo Region.” In 2021, that number was 361. An individual experiences chronic homelessness if they have been homeless for at least six months over the course of a year (not necessarily consecutive days); and/or, has episodes of homelessness over three years that total at least 18 months.
Additionally, housing costs are also rising. “With the average rent for a two-bedroom apartment currently $1,658 in Waterloo Region, someone receiving $700 a month cannot make ends meet. Household income needs to be more than $75,000 per year to afford the rental market,” the EngageWR page states.
The Region purchased the 84 Frederick St property "for use as a permanent emergency shelter and as a critical investment in future affordable housing in downtown Kitchener.” At the August 13th Regional Council meeting, Council decided that those spaces would be for single women, gender-diverse, and non-binary adults, at least for now. Additional “plans include developing a second 50-bed hybrid shelter location, along with establishing a women’s shelter with the Cambridge YWCA,” Peter Sweeney, the Region’s Commissioner of Community Services, outlined at the council meeting.
The current lack of dedicated women’s-only emergency shelter spaces often means that women are choosing potentially unsafe alternatives, according to Project Willow, a local report exploring gender-based violence and women’s homelessness.
“Many women will not go to co-ed spaces because they have experienced high levels of violence in their lives and these aren’t safe spaces for them to be in,” says Erin Dej, Associate Professor, Department of Criminology at Wilfrid Laurier University.
73 per cent of Project Willow respondents “wouldn’t even consider accessing co-ed shelter because of safety issues. Instead, they choose options such as sleeping rough, hiding in parking garages, joining encampments or camping alone in neighbouring forests,” the Project Willow report states. 83 per cent of Project Willow respondents have stayed in a housing situation that is abusive or violent because it felt safer than being homeless.
The Women’s Crisis Services of Waterloo Region offers supports for women facing domestic violence. “We know that domestic violence has existed for far too long, often because it’s seen as a ‘private matter’ or that there is a lot of shame or secrecy attached. Only about 30 per cent of individuals ever report domestic violence to police,” says Jennifer Hutton, CEO of Women’s Crisis Services of Waterloo Region.
Organizations like the Women’s Crisis Services are incredibly important for the women and families who fall within their mandate. However, as Erin Dej states, “the closure of 84 Frederick has left an enormous gap in the shelter spaces provided for women in this region.”
Jennifer Hutton agrees. “There’s very much a need for an emergency women’s homeless shelter. What we do (at Women’s Crisis Services) is similar and also different. Our mandate is really around specific experiences of domestic violence, when there is a safety issue at hand,” Hutton says.
No matter the reason for leaving a relationship, a break-up can have a devastating impact on women and families. “The fastest path to poverty for a woman is the dissolution of a relationship. They lose their housing, they lose more than half of their income, and they often end up on the street,” notes Marjorie Knight, an anti-poverty advocate who has experienced homelessness.
While the closure of Mary’s Place has left a noticeable gap in services for women and non-binary individuals, it’s clear that what existed previously was not meeting the immense need in our community.
“Over the last 2 years, it’s become increasingly apparent that (Mary’s Place) is aging and quite honestly, the need for emergency shelter far exceeds our ability to deliver it in that space. It wasn’t uncommon to see 100 women seeking shelter in a space that that was funded and designed to operate with 66 beds,” says YWKW’s Jennifer Breaton. “We heard stories about women who didn’t feel safe in our space. We heard stories of women who felt they couldn’t maintain sobriety in our space. It really challenged us to design something that brought dignity back to who we provide services for,” she says.
By talking with women and gender diverse individuals, both those who had resided at Mary’s Place and those who hadn’t, the YWKW board began to understand ways the current shelter was not meeting the needs of many. That was the impetus for wanting to develop a better model. “I had no idea that the services that we’ve been providing to women in this community are not sufficient. Our board made a decision that we needed to move forward to build something that served the women and children in this community in a much, much better way,” says Karen Coviello, President of the board, YW Kitchener-Waterloo.
That new model is under development and there is no timeline as of yet as to when the YWKW will be able to open new shelter services. In order to get there though, it will require partnerships across the non-profit sector which has seen competition between not-for-profit organizations. “We are in a space where we have to compete against each other for resources, land, opportunity, connection, everything. It’s been a competitive space. Partnership is the only way we can move forward on big ideas. We are committed to leaning in with other agencies, other parts of the housing continuum to make those changes good for Waterloo Region,” says Coviello.
Some of those discussions have already been happening. “We are talking regularly with other shelter providers, whether that’s the homeless sector, whether that’s the Violence Against Women sector, we sit at the same tables. We’re very much aware of what’s happening in the community and very much talking about how we can work together, how we can plan together,” Jennifer Hutton says.
This is the first of an ongoing series looking at the issue of access to shelter space, especially for women and gender diverse individuals. The next post in this series will look at the advocacy and action on this issue.
A slightly edited version of this piece appeared in The Community Edition’s September issue.
Upcoming events:
Belmont Bestival is a two day music and arts festival celebrating local performers and a great way to celebrate the end of summer! Tonight and tomorrow.
In partnership with Willow River Centre, join KPL for a screening of Wildhood, a film about a Two-Spirit teenager who leaves home to find his birth mother, and reclaim his Mi’kmaw heritage. After the film, Amy Smoke will moderate a discussion with Anne Marie Beals, Krystal Muise, and Anthony Warren about the film. September 17th, 6:00pm.
Where did they get that $$ number for a 2 bedroom apartment? That’s insanely low.
As an immigrant woman and survivor of domestic violence, I know firsthand how difficult it can be to leave an abusive relationship, even with some financial means. I was fortunate enough to secure a private apartment, but that didn’t shield me from the isolation and judgment I faced after making the difficult choice to leave. Many women, particularly immigrants, face unimaginable barriers if they cannot afford housing or have young children to protect.
For those without financial support, a dedicated women-only shelter could mean the difference between safety and being forced to remain in dangerous situations. Women who choose to leave often risk losing social support, family, and community ties—this can be even more pronounced for immigrants with fewer resources and local connections. In a region like Waterloo, which prides itself on diversity and inclusion, we urgently need a safe haven for women and children in crisis.