Giving hope to homeless women in Ottawa

When I talk about the services we provide for women, a lot of people are surprised we are the only homeless shelter that accepts women. Other shelters will feed them, but they don't give them a place to sleep. There are reasons for that, but at Shepherds of Good Hope, we made a decision we were going to be there for Ottawa's most in-need people and gender wasn't going to be an issue.

There are several different programs we run for women. We have a 60-bed shelter for women and transgendered individuals who are 18 years of age or older.

While they're here, the women have access to medical staff, counsellors and outreach workers. We also have a women's special care unit. It's a 16-bed unit for women with more challenging medical issues.

Although those are dedicated services to women, all of the programs we offer to Ottawa's homeless population are there for men and women. For example, there are women in our Worker Program. There are women in TESP.

Finally, we have Brigid's Place, a housing first facility with room for 11 women. These are women who can live independently but still need support services in place.

Like all of our programs, we staff them 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

If you want to learn more about the services we provide to women or book a tour, please don't hesitate to call or e-mail me. 613-789-8210, ext 247. Email: asilverman@shepherdsofgoodhope.com.