A regional councillor, alongside members of local outreach groups, is looking to secure funding to create a warming shelter in Cambridge dedicated to serving women experiencing homelessness.
The motion, which is set to be brought forward at regional committee on Dec. 16, by regional councillor Pam Wolf, is asking for $176,000 to establish a centre that would give women experiencing homelessness a place to stay overnight during the winter months, along with warm meals and clean water.
“The information that we’ve been gathering and the numbers that we’re seeing are starting to paint a very different picture of what homelessness looks like in our region,” Kim Decker, CEO of YWCA Cambridge, said.
Kim Decker, CEO of YWCA Cambridge, on the Mike Farwell Show
Decker noted that the warming shelters in Waterloo Region are low on available space, adding that they often have to turn folks away because they don’t have room at the shelters that are currently operating.
“It’s so difficult because we know that we’re turning them away and they are going to be back on the street,” she said. “They’re looking for a place that’s safe for them, because we know that gender-based violence is inextricably linked to homelessness.”
The last Point in Time Count showed there are currently about 2,300 people living in the region who experience homelessness.
Decker noted that she’s been in conversation with a number of churches around Cambridge that are prepared to host the warming shelter.
For more information on YWCA Cambridge, visit: ywcacambridge.ca.
