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https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/ywca-women-shelter-davenport-1.4985108
https://web.archive.org/web/2019012...oronto/ywca-women-shelter-davenport-1.4985108
A new women's shelter is offering a rare bright spot on this frigid weekend in Toronto, a city where many facilities are filled to capacity and where homeless people are building encampments in ravines, at busy intersections and under the Gardiner Expressway.
Neighbours in the area around Davenport Road and Dupont Street on Saturday were invited to attend an open house at the new four-storey, YWCA-run shelter that occupies a long, narrow lot at 348 Davenport Road.
Staff will begin registering the first residents on Monday, staggering the intake until the fifth week, when all 56 beds will be filled.
The new facility is part of the city's ongoing commitment to open 1,000 new shelter beds by the end of 2020.
While men tend to be much more visible on the street — panhandling or living in makeshift structures and tents — Gorka says women are more likely to end up "couch-surfing" with friends or staying in respite centres.
This month, two horrific deaths highlighted the precarity of women's homelessness.
A need for holistic support
Hang Vo died last Tuesday, when she was crushed by a garbage truck backing down a dark alley in the early morning, just north of St. Andrew subway station. There were reports that Vo was asleep on a heating grate at the time of her death.
Crystal, identified only by her first name, died on January 8 after she became trapped in a clothing donations bin at Bloor and Dovercourt roads.
As the largest organization in Toronto serving women, Gorka says the YWCA is uniquely positioned to work with homeless women, especially those who are also dealing with addiction and sexual abuse.
"Lots of women who we see require supportive housing," says Gorka.
The YWCA already operates three shelters in the city — one for homeless women and two for women fleeing domestic violence, issues that are often intertwined.
"This is something the [YWCA] has done really well," says Gorka. "Not just offering a place to stay, but giving them holistic support."
https://web.archive.org/web/2019012...oronto/ywca-women-shelter-davenport-1.4985108
A new women's shelter is offering a rare bright spot on this frigid weekend in Toronto, a city where many facilities are filled to capacity and where homeless people are building encampments in ravines, at busy intersections and under the Gardiner Expressway.
Neighbours in the area around Davenport Road and Dupont Street on Saturday were invited to attend an open house at the new four-storey, YWCA-run shelter that occupies a long, narrow lot at 348 Davenport Road.
Staff will begin registering the first residents on Monday, staggering the intake until the fifth week, when all 56 beds will be filled.
The new facility is part of the city's ongoing commitment to open 1,000 new shelter beds by the end of 2020.
- Toronto's new shelter plan just a short-term solution to homelessness, advocates say
- 'Today we say enough': New homelessness advocacy group calls for state of emergency as shelters near capacity
While men tend to be much more visible on the street — panhandling or living in makeshift structures and tents — Gorka says women are more likely to end up "couch-surfing" with friends or staying in respite centres.
This month, two horrific deaths highlighted the precarity of women's homelessness.
A need for holistic support
Hang Vo died last Tuesday, when she was crushed by a garbage truck backing down a dark alley in the early morning, just north of St. Andrew subway station. There were reports that Vo was asleep on a heating grate at the time of her death.
Crystal, identified only by her first name, died on January 8 after she became trapped in a clothing donations bin at Bloor and Dovercourt roads.
As the largest organization in Toronto serving women, Gorka says the YWCA is uniquely positioned to work with homeless women, especially those who are also dealing with addiction and sexual abuse.
"Lots of women who we see require supportive housing," says Gorka.
The YWCA already operates three shelters in the city — one for homeless women and two for women fleeing domestic violence, issues that are often intertwined.
"This is something the [YWCA] has done really well," says Gorka. "Not just offering a place to stay, but giving them holistic support."
