New shelter opens in Cambridge on Monday for women and gender-diverse people

A new shelter for women and gender-diverse people will open Monday in Cambridge.

The shelter at Grace Bible Church, located at 2 Grand Ave. S., will have 20 temporary emergency beds and the shelter will be open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. It will also provide wraparound supports such as mental and physical health services.

YWCA Cambridge CEO Kim Decker said in a media release that the shelter is needed to offer a safe and warm place for women in Cambridge and North Dumfries.

Plans for the shelter began last August, and plans were for it to open before the end of the year. When the shelter was announced, Decker told CBC K-W there were no other options for women in the city. That's because women experiencing homelessness often hasn't been seen as a big problem.

"What we found through our research is that women stay hidden for all sorts of reasons. And one of the biggest reasons is for their own personal safety," Decker said at the time.

"Oftentimes, you won't see [women] on the street," she said. "They'll sleep in a car or they'll sleep on a couch with friends or they're in tiny, small encampments hidden away where no one can see them."

A point-in-time count done in October 2024 found 2,371 individuals said they were experiencing homelessness in Waterloo region. That's more than double from September 2021 when 1,085 people said they were homeless during a point-in-time count.

In a release on Friday, Decker said they're "thrilled" to be able to open the doors to the shelter.

"There is a strong and vibrant network of social services in Cambridge, but a women's emergency homeless shelter has been sorely lacking for too long. This is a good news story we could all use right now," she said.

Regional Chair Karen Redman was quoted in the release saying the shelter will provide supports and services to help people attain housing.

"We know there is much still to do, but the Region of Waterloo will continue working alongside community partners to improve how we shelter and support people experiencing homelessness," Redman said.

Grace Bible Church pastor David Robinson said when the congregation moved to downtown Galt, they knew they wanted to church to serve the needs of the community.

"Our hope and prayer is that, in sharing our space and welcoming the women to our community, they will know that we care about them and be an encouragement as they move toward finding safe and secure housing," Robinson said.