Ottawa women's shelter looking for temporary new home by end of the month
The city of Ottawa says all parties are working "tirelessly" to find a new temporary location for an emergency shelter for women, after the lease for its current location at the University of Ottawa was cut short by a month.
Cornerstone Housing for Women says it has three weeks to find an interim site for its emergency shelter, or more than 100 vulnerable residents will lose their shelter.
The shelter opened its site at the University of Ottawa in December 2020 after the city asked the organization to expand its capacity to accommodate a surge in demand for women and gender-diverse individuals experiencing homelessness for the winter. The city arranged for space at the university to ensure there was enough space for physical distancing to be maintained.
The permanent home for the emergency shelter is located on O'Connor Street.
The city of Ottawa's lease for the Cornerstone Housing for Women to use the University of Ottawa facility on Friel Street was originally scheduled to expire on July 31, 2021. The city tells CTV News Ottawa the university exercised a clause in the lease to terminate it one month earlier on June 30.
On Thursday, Cornerstone Housing for Women said its unable to return to its permanent home on O'Connor Street until December, as much-needed renovations on the facility will not be completed for another six months.
Cornerstone Housing for Women, the Anglican Diocese of Ottawa and the city have been working to find a solution.
On Twitter, Mayor Jim Watson said city staff are working to find a new facility, which will be presented to the Cornerstone Housing for Women's board before the end of the month.
In a statement to CTV News Ottawa, Christopher Tuck of Ottawa's Human Needs Task Force said the city is working with its partners to find temporary and permanent solutions for single women and gender-diverse individuals experiencing homelessness.
"This location is currently housing 125 women and gender-diverse individuals," said Tuck.
"The City of Ottawa’s Housing Service and Human Needs Task Force, in collaboration with Cornerstone Housing for Women and our community partners, are working tirelessly to find a new temporary location with the least amount of disruption to those using the centre as well as the staff, who all deserve support and stability."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Doctors say capital gains tax changes will jeopardize their retirement. Is that true?
The Canadian Medical Association asserts the Liberals' proposed changes to capital gains taxation will put doctors' retirement savings in jeopardy, but some financial experts insist incorporated professionals are not as doomed as they say they are.
Something in the water? Canadian family latest to spot elusive 'Loch Ness Monster'
For centuries, people have wondered what, if anything, might be lurking beneath the surface of Loch Ness in Scotland. When Canadian couple Parry Malm and Shannon Wiseman visited the Scottish highlands earlier this month with their two children, they didn’t expect to become part of the mystery.
Fair in Ontario, flurries in Labrador: Weather systems make for an erratic spring
It's no secret that spring can be a tumultuous time for Canadian weather, and as an unseasonably mild El Nino winter gives way to summer, there's bound to be a few swings in temperature that seem out of the ordinary. From Ontario to the Atlantic, though, this week is about to feel a little erratic.
What do weight loss drugs mean for a diet industry built on eating less and exercising more?
Recent injected drugs like Wegovy and its predecessor, the diabetes medication Ozempic, are reshaping the health and fitness industries.
He replaced Mickey Mantle. Now baseball's oldest living major leaguer is turning 100
The oldest living former major leaguer, Art Schallock turns 100 on Thursday and is being celebrated in the Bay Area and beyond as the milestone approaches.
What a urologist wants you to know about male infertility
When opposite sex couples are trying and failing to get pregnant, the attention often focuses on the woman. That’s not always the case.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Made-in-Newfoundland vodka claims top prize at worldwide competition
A Newfoundland-made vodka has been named one of the world’s best by judges at this year’s World Vodka Awards.