One of two women's shelters partially open in Region of Waterloo

Shelter spaces open up in Waterloo Region An emergency women's shelter has partially opened in Kitchener, while another is under construction in Cambridge. Colton Wiens has more.

With the bitter chill of winter being felt across the Region of Waterloo, we're getting a better idea of the shelter spaces available in the community.

Two shelters for women and femme-identifying individuals experiencing homelessness are in the works.

At 84 Frederick Street in Kitchener, an emergency shelter for women and femme-identifying individuals has been under renovation since the region purchased the building from YW Kitchener-Waterloo.

Despite lingering signs of construction, Services and Housing In the Province (SHIP) said it opened 37 emergency beds at the Frederick Street location around Dec 19.

SHIP is running the facility while the Region of Waterloo completes construction on the rest of the building.

The plan is to complete renovations by March, which is when the region aims to expand the shelter to 66 beds. According to SHIP, a service provider has not yet been chosen for the Frederick Street location for when renovations are finished.

The other shelter for women and femme-identifying individuals set to open in the region will be in the basement of Grace Bible Church in Cambridge. In December 2024, the YWCA told CTV News it hoped to open the facility by the end of 2024.

Now, the YWCA said the plan is to open the shelter before the end of January, but they don't have an exact date at this time.

The shelter at Grace Bible Church will be Cambridge’s first shelter for women and femme-identifying individuals. It will be open 24/7 and will accommodate up to 20 people. It will also include access to wraparound services.

Both shelters will be the only ones in the region dedicated to women.

In December, the Working Centre said women are given priority at the King Street Shelter that it operates in the former Schwaben Club in Kitchener. At that time, 70 per cent of the people staying there were women.