Telford: Homelessness for women and gender-diverse people in Ottawa is getting worse

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“Sorry, we don’t have any beds at the moment.” It’s a phrase I say over and over throughout the day. I offer the caller other numbers to seek shelter, only to hear that those shelters are also full or they don’t feel safe going there. I had to turn almost 40 women out of our shelter in a recent week alone.

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I feel crushed and deflated every time I turn someone down as there aren’t many places where women and gender diverse people can safely go. They ask me when can a bed be expected and sadly I tell them that I am not expecting one any time soon.

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Our system is broken. I know this, not only because of the number of people I turn away in a day, but also because of the number of residents who are in our shelters for months. When a person finally moves out, the bed doesn’t stay empty for more than an hour before it fills up. Homelessness is clearly far from being eradicated and, to be honest, that is probably unattainable. The goal should be to reduce it.

The first thing we need is more funding. I have worked at Cornerstone Housing for Women for 18 years and can attest to the decline and change in the homeless sector. And I can tell you that it’s a direct result of funding cuts, not just in our industry, but in the medical, mental health, and addiction systems. This funding must come from all levels of government.

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The second thing we need is to create more partnerships within our health care system to ensure that patients have a place to go after they leave the hospital that isn’t just being dropped off in an emergency shelter. Every day, I see how hospital systems are overwhelmed and underfunded, and how our residents in need of urgent psychiatric care are being discharged without proper evaluation and follow-up care plans. Without proper discharge plans, people end up in shelters, not just short-term, but in the shelter system for more than six months. This is by far the largest demographic of residents in the Cornerstone Shelter right now.

The third solution we need is a plan for more affordable housing. We need newly elected city council members to develop an inclusive zoning policy where new developments must allocate 20 to 30 percent of their units to affordable housing. For those tenants who need it, a support worker must be available to keep people in their homes and prevent the cycle of homelessness from continuing.

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Since the city council declared a housing and homeless state of emergency in March 2020, things have only gotten worse. Now, just as the world opens up again, we are seeing the real effects of the pandemic. As inflation continues to rise, the cost of living is at an all-time high, private market rental rates are exorbitant, and let’s be real: how can a person on welfare afford them when they’re unaffordable for someone on welfare? earn minimum wage? Ottawa’s vacancy rate is 3.4 percent, but for low-income people, that number drops to 0.2 percent. It is not a surprise that the shelters are full.

We have to take bold and innovative steps if we want to make a dent in reducing homelessness in our city.

I see the despair and hopelessness month after month as women wait for housing. I am your witness. I’m there, working on their foster home, and I can see how desperate they are for stability, safety, and a place to call home. Housing is a basic human right.

I want everyone to have a place to call home in a community that provides dignity and support. World Homeless Day is October 10. We may not be able to eradicate homelessness, but we can reduce it with these solutions. Let’s start by electing a city council that is committed to more innovative housing solutions that address the housing and homelessness crisis.

alison telford is a frontline worker at Cornerstone Housing for Women in Ottawa.