The life of unhoused and abused women in Hamilton

An immigrant mother tells her son they don't have a place to sleep, so they spend three nights in a borrowed car in the middle of winter. A second woman flees domestic violence and finds comfort in empowering other women. And a third, like many others, sleeps on the cold sidewalks of downtown Hamilton.

These three women are currently experiencing homelessness, domestic violence and fear. Their names have been changed out of concern for their safety.

Julia still remembers the night she told her 11-year-old son and 18-year-old daughter they would have to sleep at Toronto's Union Station.

I didn't want to tell them, especially my son, that we were sleeping there because we didn't have a house," said the 43-year-old woman through an interpreter.

Instead, the family told the 11-year-old they would have to wait many, many hours" for a bus.

In December 2021, Julia and her family moved from South America to Canada; the couple struggled for a couple weeks in Montreal before trying their luck in Toronto.

But when they arrived in the city, all the shelters were full. A social worker from Ontario Works advised the family to sleep at the bus station in the meantime" because it was going to be cold that night."

The next day, the family - who also dealt with a language barrier - went looking for another shelter. But due to COVID restrictions, they were turned away everywhere.

Julia said they asked for help at the Red Cross in Toronto, but it was a horrible decision."

They yelled at us and told us to get out of there," Julia said.

The Spectator reached out to the Red Cross to inquire about Julia's experience at the non-profit.

The Canadian Red Cross believes that everyone deserves to be treated with respect and dignity," said Kirsten Long, communications adviser at the Red Cross.

Long said due to COVID-19 protocols in December 2021, Canadian Red Cross services - including the first contact program in Toronto that aims to provide information and referrals on a variety of issues affecting refugee claimants and other migrants - were being offered virtually.

With nowhere to go, the family was left to sleep on the streets and face January's sub-zero temperatures.

Destiny, happenchance or angels sent from God," Julia said, a Colombian family staying at a shelter in Toronto overheard them begging to use the shelter's washroom in Spanish and jumped in to help.

They snuck us into the shelter and hid us in the library so we could stay warm."

Without being able to hide them for too long, the Colombians at the shelter offered Julia and her family their car, where they slept for three nights.

Other residents from the shelter offered help and brought Julia and her family dozens of blankets. They left the window down a bit, running the heater so we could stay there and not freeze."

The family met another South American who offered to drive them to Hamilton so they could try to find temporary shelter.

When they arrived in Hamilton, Julia and her family were sent to a shelter and then transferred to a city-funded hotel.

Sharing a one-bedroom room in a hotel during winter became too stressful for the family and Julia said her partner began to abuse her. It started with yelling, hurting with words," followed by daily arguments, then physical violence.

He told me that if I said anything it would cause problems for us, and they would send us back," Julia said. And we would be killed there and it was all going to be my fault."

When her social worker found out Julia had been hit by her now ex-partner, she was immediately transferred to Martha House with her children. The police brought us here and told us we would be protected and safe."

Martha House - one of Good Shepherd's Centres - is an emergency shelter for women and their children who are experiencing homelessness and escaping violence and abuse. Families are provided with a private unit and receive referrals for employment, financial, legal, housing, medical and community services.

Here (in the shelter) we feel safe," Julia said.

However, feeling safe is not a possibility for all unhoused folks. Eleanor, 39, has been sleeping on the streets for the past four years and said it's horrible" being a homeless woman.

According to November research by Point in Time Connection, an initiative to better understand the needs of people experiencing homelessness in the city, 53 per cent of the homeless community in Hamilton identify as women, two per cent as non-binary and one per cent as trans or two-spirit.

The research also pointed to unfit or unsafe housing as one of the top three reasons for housing loss.

To feel safe at night, Eleanor sleeps with something she can defend herself with under the pillow.

If a man wakes up, he can defend himself," she said. If a woman wakes up and sees a man touching or robbing her, what the hell is she going to do? She will get beat up."

Eleanor lives around Jackson Square and wishes people didn't have certain misconceptions about homeless people. Just because I'm homeless I don't have to play the part," Eleanor said. I don't have to be dirty. I don't have to wear ragged clothes."

Eleanor said she was kicked out of a shelter after not following the curfew due to a family emergency.

Director of Good Shepherd Women's Services, Tessa Mcfadzean, said if a resident were to repetitively not come home for their bed, the shelter would have to eventually give the spot to someone else.

To keep a room at a shelter, residents have to follow a number of rules to ensure the space is safe - no drugs, no drinking or smoking inside, no weapons, and they must respect residents, staff and volunteers.

Lucy found shelter at Womankind in Hamilton but never felt at home. I come from a good family. I never dreamt I would ever be in a shelter."

Womankind Addiction Service is a 26-bed facility located in west Hamilton. The shelter provides emergency beds for women who are experiencing homelessness, as well as gender-responsive programming and support for women seeking change with their substance use.

The 58-year-old escaped a physically and verbally abusive male partner in Winnipeg. She came to the city to be closer to her family.

Diabetic and on dialysis, she felt anxious and stressed because of her health condition.

I have good and bad days," Lucy said. She was asked to leave the shelter due to how she treated the staff. It was because of the way I was talking to them."

Lucy said she was shocked to leave Womankind and has been at Mary's Place - an emergency shelter for people 18 and older - since March this year.

People can change and I have since I came here - maybe because I have been loved here - I feel better now."

Now, Lucy has her own bedroom, decorated with family photos and colourful pillows tidied on the bed. But she is always thinking about the women sleeping on the streets. It's not easy what women have to go through."

What's next for these women?

Overwhelmed by new experiences, Julia said her priority is to learn English.

Previously a nurse in South America, Julia would like to practise her profession again in Canada. But if I'm not able to, I will do something where I can help others."

Julia said her daughter is a lot calmer now and feels safe at the shelter, and that Martha House has helped them strengthen their relationship.

With my children, in front of them, I have to be strong and show this is something that happened and we have to leave it behind," Julia said.

The 18-year-old daughter is going to school and learning English to attend a post-secondary school. People have complimented her a lot." And her son is in Grade 6, attending regular school and is very happy."

At Mary's Place, Lucy finds comfort in listening to and encouraging other women. Some of them who leave (the shelter) still call me and say I made a big difference and had a big impact in their lives. I appreciate that."

She is looking forward to having her own home and giving the space to other women in need. I feel like I have to make a move and give somebody else a chance. Because there are many homeless people on the street looking for somewhere to live."

That chance might be coming to the city soon. A supportive-housing program by Good Shepherd is opening its doors next March. It will offer 73 units to women, trans and non-binary individuals.

The upcoming program aims to provide an innovative" approach to permanent and supportive housing in Hamilton, integrating social services and health care that is safe, accessible, and affordable."

Mcfadzean, the director of Good Shepherd Women's Services, said the original call for proposals was to increase shelter capacity but, due to funding requirements" and a deep need for permanent housing for women, trans and non-binary individuals" in the city, the program evolved into permanent supportive housing.

Recently, Lucy applied for a supported independent living program that helps people who want to live independently, with assistance tailored to client needs through different levels of support.

What does her dream home look like? Comfortable, where I can cook my own meals, go to bed whenever I feel like it and spend a night with my family when I want."

What does Lucy think would happen if she were on the streets? Only God knows. Maybe I would be dead."

Beatriz Baleeiro is a reporter at The Spectator.bbaleeiro@torstar.ca