Women’s homelessness in Hamilton continues to rise

There are hundreds of women walking among us, who are homeless. They are often the victims of abuse and violence and many suffer in silence.

Ward three councillor Nrinder Nann is calling on the city of Hamilton to better meet the needs of all women and marginalized residents.

Carol Cowan-Morneau is CEO of Mission Services Hamilton. They run Willow’s Place, a safe place for women to go during the day. She says the number of homeless women in the city is on the rise and showing no signs of slowing down.

“We really don’t have much housing. We have a very small supply of supportive housing and not much at all for women and women with children,” said Cowan-Morneau.

There are four shelters for women in the city who are impacted by violence and most are full.

“Twenty-five and 35 women per day coming here seeking safety. They need a place to laundry, have a shower, to change their clothing, to find clothing, boots, shoes, to have a hot meal. Sometimes when women come here they have no trust in the system. They really are disconnected from all services. They have no income and they’re literally living on the streets,” she said.

Councillor Nrinder Nann is on a mission to change that. “It’s not just about providing a bed or a house over somebody’s head, it’s also about the wraparound services.”

Nann presented a motion to the city’s emergency and community services committee meeting on Thursday. “We’re at the five-year mark of our city’s housing and homelessness strategy. This is a perfect opportunity for us to look at what we have done, but also to think strategically about what we need to do moving forward,” said Nann.