The rising cost of living alongside rent hikes and renovictions have brought the average Waterloo Region resident closer to the experience of homelessness than ever before.

This is particularly true for cis and transgender women, and non-binary individuals, who are often left without a safe space to sleep at night when they find themselves in need of shelter.

Overview:

In March 2024, YWCA Kitchener-Waterloo announced they would be closing their long-standing women's shelter. As of May 2024, they are not accepting any more individuals into their shelter.

While Women's Crisis Services' shelters are available for women fleeing intimate partner violence, where can cis women, transgender women, and non-binary people experiencing other hardships go?

• The only shelter accommodating all gender identities (co-ed), King Street Shelter, is consistently full each night. 
• All other emergency shelters in WR are strictly for men. 

The Challenge:

There are now zero women's shelters accepting new clients in Waterloo Region to provide emergency shelter to cis and trans women and non-binary people who are not fleeing intimate partner violence.

Women and non-binary individuals experiencing homelessness are now faced with a stark reality: they are either turned away from emergency shelters or offered the only alternative of staying in a co-ed shelter. 

Regrettably, many don't feel safe with this only option:

In the study "Don't Tell Them You're Homeless" Waterloo Region organizations interviewed individuals either accessing or who had accessed the YW shelter in the past. They found that:

• 92% of participants experienced violence daily or weekly
• 73% have avoided co-ed shelter services due to safety concerns
• 65% avoided male-dominated community services

Call to Action:

Housing is a human right that should be accessible to everyone regardless of their gender identity or circumstance.

It's time for our Waterloo Region government to take action.

We call upon the Waterloo Region municipal government to create temporary emergency shelter beds specifically for cis women, transgender women, and non-binary individuals as an immediate solution to bridge the gap until a new permanent shelter is established.

We urge them to prioritize establishing a new permanent shelter for these community members.

By signing this petition, you're standing with women and non-binary individuals in our community to advocate for their right to safe housing options during times of crisis. 

Let's ensure everyone has access to the support they need, when they need it most. Sign today.