IODE Walter Baker delivers funding

I had the pleasure this morning of welcoming a special group of ladies from the IODE Walter Baker Chapter. In November, they held their annual fundraiser dinner, fashion show and silent auction Couture for a Cause.

This year they selected the Shepherds of Good Hope women's special care unit as their charity to support. The women's special care unit is a 16-bed unit at Shepherds of Good Hope for women who are homeless and dealing with complex health issues and/or addiction challenges. Care includes counselling, support and life skills training.

The IODE Walter Baker Chapter raised $7,500 which will help us refurbish and redecorate the common lounge. We're also looking at purchasing some medical privacy screens.

Thank you to everyone! I was at the fall fundraiser and it was a fun time.

Couture for a Cause

I had the wonderful pleasure last night of attending and speaking at Couture for a Cause, a fundraiser for Shepherds of Good Hope.

The focus was on women's special care unit. A lot of people are surprised when I tell them we are the only homeless shelter that houses both men and women. Every program and service we offer -- managed alcohol program, worker program, transitional emergency shelter program, enhanced support program, soup kitchen, clothing program, etc., -- are offered equally to both men and women. The second thing that often surprises people is the depth and breadth of programs and services we offer. We're best known for the shelter and the soup kitchen but we do so much more.

We have one program that is geared to women only. The women's special care unit provides 16 beds to women who are dealing with complex health issues and/or addition issues. We help them with those challenges and case workers work with them to help develop life skills that will serve them well when they leave the shelter.

We also have 60 beds in the shelter for women and Brigid's Place, a housing first facility, has 11 rooms for women.

Last night's event was an opportunity to talk about the programs and services we offer to women in our care. Thank you to everyone who organized the event which included dinner, a fashion show and a silent auction.

Your support helps us ensure no women is turned away. It allows us to help them build a life of dignity. Thank you.

If you would like to know more about the services we offer to women, please click here. To help women who are homeless, please click here.

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.

How we help women

There was an article in the Ottawa Sun today about the number of women who rely on shelters.

The people who run the shelters say space is tight and that they are sometimes forced to turn women away. When we think of women's shelters, we most often think of safe places for women to go when they are trying to escape an abusive relationship. It's a sad fact that domestic abuse is still a problem in our country.

When people think of Shepherds of Good Hope, many don't know that we are the only homeless shelter that provides services to both men and women. Every night, there are as many as 100 women in our various programs. Some of those women are escaping a violent relationship and have nowhere else to go. They have a terrible choice. Be homeless or stay in danger. Thankfully, Shepherds is another resource for these women.

For other women, their homelessness is a consequence of other factors. They might be suffering from mental illness and/or dealing with addiction issues. It could be they simply can't find good enough employment to allow them to be on their own in their own homes.

The women come to us from different backgrounds, for different reasons, and with different challenges to address. Our Hope Outreach Emergency Shelter for Women has room for 60 women every night.

In addition to providing a safe bed, we have other services in place. We have TESP (transitional emergency shelter program). The women who are part of this program are chronically homeless and have had severe physical and mental health issues. In TESP, they are cared for by trained health care professionals, counsellors and case management workers.

We also have a dedicated Women's Special Care Unit with 16 beds for women who are suffering from severe health conditions. Sometimes our role is to provide treatment, other times it's to coordinate it with the women's existing health care providers. We also provide assessments and referrals for addiction counselling. We help them with housing and we provide life skills, things like how to keep a room clean, how to shop for groceries, skills we take for granted.

Finally, we have Brigid's Place, a housing first complex. There are 11 women who live there. These women have spent a considerable amount of time living on the street. They did what they had to do to survive. Brigid's Place gives them a safe haven where they can start to take the steps necessary to perhaps one day live more independently. Everyone is different. Everyone goes at their own pace. We set no time limit. The women stay at Brigid's Place for as long as they need us.

If you want to learn more about our women's programs, please check out our program and services page. If you would like a tour on our programs specifically for women, please contact me at asilverman@shepherdsofgoodhope.com.