Shelter for women and gender-diverse people officially opens in downtown Kitchener

The building at 84 Frederick Street in Kitchener is pictured in this photo taken on Jan. 8, 2025. (Colton Wiens/CTV News)

A new emergency shelter with 66 spaces for women and gender-diverse individuals has officially opened in downtown Kitchener.

Since 1908, 84 Frederick Street has operated, in some capacity, as a shelter. The Region of Waterloo purchased the building from YW Kitchener-Waterloo in 2024 with the goal of renovating the space. It was hoped construction would wrap up by March 2025.

While the work was underway, Services and Housing In the Province (SHIP) opened up 37 overnight emergency beds in December 2024.

The region said renovations were completed this past November and 44 spaces have been dedicated to transitional and supportive housing.

The announcement comes at a very crucial time.

Another local shelter for women and gender-diverse people recently had to turn people away who needed somewhere to stay. The facility, run by YWCA Cambridge in the basement of Grace Bible Church on Grand Avenue South, only has 20 beds. As of October, 77 requests were denied over the previous eight weeks.

A 2024 point in time report indicated there were more than 2,300 people experiencing homelessness in Waterloo Region. That far exceeded the number of available spaces.

As for the shelter in downtown Kitchener, the opening coincided with a drop in temperatures, making it even more dangerous for those living rough.

“84 Frederick represents a significant step toward addressing the complex housing and human-service needs of women and gender-diverse individuals experiencing homelessness,” regional chair Karen Redman said in Friday’s media release. “This project demonstrates the impact of regional staff and community partners aligning efforts around our community’s greatest needs.”

SHIP said, in addition to providing a warm place to sleep, visitors would be fed, clothed and provided wrap-around supports, including help for mental health and addiction, life skills development, wellness, housing stability, tenant relations and access to education and training opportunities.

“84 Fredrick Street will offer safety, dignity and a bridge to permanent, sustainable housing for women and gender-diverse individuals,” Thomas DiCarlo, the acting CEO for SHIP, explained in the release. “Without transitional housing and programs like Frederick Street, many women would be forced into untenable choices; returning to unsafe situations, remaining in crisis shelters or becoming part of hidden homelessness.”

The region said a $12.5 million investment went into the 84 Frederick Street shelter, thanks to the Plan to End Chronic Homelessness, as well as an additional $5.4 million through the federal government’s Unsheltered Homelessness and Encampments Initiative (UHEI).