In advance of a forecasted freezing winter and the November municipal election, Vision Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»and COPE vow to make funding for a women's shelter in the Downtown Eastside a top priority.
The move echoes COPE Coun. Ellen Woodsworth's motion, passed unanimously by council in March, to create an additional 24-hour women's-only shelter and to make sure mixed-gender shelters are made safer for women. Woodsworth had called for the creation of such a shelter to be the city's highest priority in the spring. But an amendment, opposed by COPE Coun. David Cadman and Woodsworth, made the creation of such a shelter "a continued high priority." Vision Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»Mayor Gregor Robertson and NPA Coun. Suzanne Anton were absent for the vote.
Woodsworth hopes the attention being paid to the Missing Women Commission of Inquiry will secure a firm commitment for a shelter from the provincial government. "I hope that by raising it now, that people would understand the link between the missing women-women continue to go missing-and the need for 24/7 shelter," Woodsworth said.
An Oct. 16 Vision Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»news release states a 24-hour a day, seven-days-a-week women's shelter is recommended in the city's affordable housing and homelessness plan, which was supported by every councillor except Anton. The release says Anton was the only member of council to vote against the city providing ongoing support for homeless shelters. "Of course if there's a need for the shelter I support it," Anton said Oct. 19. She opposed the larger homelessness plan for other reasons.
B.C. Housing recently gave the Downtown Eastside Women's Centre more than $230,000 to extend the hours of the shelter it runs in its life skills centre. Women's centre coordinator Alice Kendall said the money was granted as a response to seven reported sexual assaults of women at the First United Church shelter between October 2010 and January 2011, and what she said was the church's failure to address problems that would make its shelter safer.
The women's centre now offers 50 cots, and mats, to women from 6 p.m. to 9 a.m. five days a week and all weekend. "During the time that we became aware of these sexual assaults, there was very little response, actually none. It took a lot of time to get a meeting with the city, and it is opportunistic that now it's used during this election," Kendall said.
She says a low-barrier shelter for women that's open around the clock is needed in the Downtown Eastside in addition to the 52-bed Powell Place, which is run by the St. James Community Services Society, and the 12-bed Bridge shelter run by Atira Women's Resource Society. Both places are usually full. "We know with situations of violence against women in the community that a safe place to go is very needed and one where you're not asked too many questions about why you're there or what you're there for, and that's open 24 hours because violence happens all the time," she said.
A spokesperson for the Ministry Responsible for Housing told the Courier in an email Oct. 19 that the ministry is working towards establishing a women-only, 24/7 low-barrier shelter and drop-in centre in the Downtown Eastside and that "a number" of sites are being considered.
Twitter: @Cheryl_Rossi
