More than 1,000 women in Metro Vancouver are currently homeless, and that number has been rising in recent years,” said UGM spokesperson Sarah Chew
A new nightly shelter for women is open this winter in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside.
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Operated by Union Gospel Mission and funded by the province, the refuge provides vital support as colder weather sets in.
The short-term women’s shelter, at 616 East Cordova St., offers up to 20 individuals a warm, safe cot to sleep on each night from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. It will operate until the end of March.
“More than 1,000 women in Metro Vancouver are currently homeless, and that number has been rising in recent years,” said UGM spokesperson Sarah Chew, citing the region’s most recent homelessness count from 2023.
The count by the Homelessness Services Association of B.C., found that 26 per cent of Metro Vancouver’s homeless population identified as female.
“There’s not enough shelter for all the women who need it in the city,” said Chew, noting that within Vancouver, only a handful of overnight shelters are designated for women.
“Homelessness puts women at greater risk of physical, emotional, and sexual violence, including human trafficking and being forced to return to their abusers for a place to sleep,” Chew said.
“They need to be kept safe from the dangers of the streets that can happen at night.”
To establish the shelter, B.C. Housing provided $405,000 for UGM to convert a multi-purpose meeting space at its Women’s and Family Centre into an operational, staffed facility. Designed as a temporary refuge, it provides a place to sleep, meals, hygiene services and referrals to resources such as addiction recovery programs, mental health support and housing assistance
“We don’t want it to be just a temporary measure, we’re hoping we’ll be able to make this shelter permanent, somehow,” Chew said Thursday.
The shelter’s opening comes as funding cuts to another DTES non-profit, WISH Society, have forced the women’s organization — which supports street-based sex workers — to close its daytime drop-in services, including meals and hygiene services. It will close Feb. 7 for two months.
In the fiscal 2023-24 year, the province provided 65 per cent of WISH’s funding, or $4.8 million, but this year, B.C. Housing has reduced its contribution to $3.5 million, with a similar amount pledged for next year. The rest of its funding comes from donations, as well as city and municipal grants.
“News of a closure is very hard to accept, as changes in service delivery will have an immediate impact on the health and safety of the people we serve,” WISH’s statement reads. “At this time we are focused on providing support to participants.”
In an average month, WISH served 9,000 meals, attended 30 accidental overdoses and had a staff of up to 110 volunteers.