An emergency shelter for women and non-binary people, with or without children, who are experiencing domestic abuse and/or homelessness.
Services available for residents include:
- safe shelter with access to meals, clothing, laundry, and other personal supports
- child and youth workers
- legal advocacy
- transitional housing support worker
- safety planning
- referral to other community services
Offers transitional housing and support programs for up to 12 months for Indigneous women and their children who are at risk of homelessness, poverty, or abuse. Families are offered tools of empowerment, self-reliance, and economic independence in the hopes that they can find sustainable and safe permanent housing.
Hamilton, ON, L9C 7S7
An emergency shelter for women, with or without children, who are experiencing family violence, abuse, and/or human trafficking. Offers emergency shelter, a safe environment, meals, and access to support workers.
Hamilton, ON, L8R 2Y8
A 20 bed emergency shelter, providing safety, support, and emergency accommodation to women who are dealing with homelessness, poverty, mental illness, and/or violence.
Programs and services:
- Emergency accommodation and safety planning
- Referrals and advocacy for medical, legal, and other community services
- Assistance in establishing permanent housing
- Recreational and educational daily activities for residents and women living in the community
Hamilton, ON, L8R 2X5
A 40-bed emergency shelter for individuals and their children who are fleeing violence and abuse.
Programs and service:
- Safe, short-term accommodation in private family-style units
- Safety planning and emergency transportation to the shelter, if needed
- Referrals and advocacy for legal, medical, financial, employment, housing and community services
- Recreational and therapeutic programs for children
- Counselling
- Access to cultural interpreters
Hamilton, ON, L8R 2B2
A centre for at-risk youth residing within the community who are between 16 and 21 years of age, providing access to a number of support services and programs to assist them in remaining housed, diverting them from homelessness and street involvement. A case coordinator assists the youth in navigating community and internal services based on their identified needs.
Services include:
- Help with getting back into school or finding employment
- Assistance obtaining or replacing ID
- Access to housing workers
- Help with applying for or maintaining social assistance
- Hot meal program, seven days a week (lunch and dinner)
- Connections to community supports
- Free laundry facilities and clothing/household donations
- Access to all on-site mental health, medical care, addiction/substance use services
- Recreational and life skills programming
- Early diversion and family mediation
Hamilton, ON, L8R 2B2
A 24-hour emergency shelter providing beds for youth between 16 and 21 years of age. It provides programming and support to youth in the following manner:
- 24-hour a day intake and admissions
- Meeting all basic needs by providing meals and snacks, clothing, laundry, hygiene products, etc.
- Advocacy and case coordination
- Recreational/therapeutic programming
- Access to mental health services and consulting psychiatry
- Access to a general practitioner and/or nurse practitioner
- Addiction/substance use supports (Alternatives for Youth)
- Withdrawal management assessment and monitoring (St. Joseph's Healthcare)
- After-care services through the Community Resource Centre
Hamilton, ON, L8M 2L8
Micah House offers transitional housing and settlement support to recently arrived refugee claimants. Provides support for attaining Legal Aid, getting a lawyer, applying for Ontario Works and connecting to community organizations.
Six Nations of the Grand River, ON, N0A 1M0
Six Nations of the Grand River, ON, N0A 1M0
Six Nations of the Grand River, ON, N0A 1M0
Ganohkwasra provides services to individuals who are being abused, are abusive and/or at risk for abuse. Community Counselling offering the following services:
- Women's Program - women's individual and/or group counselling, support advocacy, liaison for women living in high-risk situations
- Child & Youth Program - children's individual and/or group counselling, support advocacy, liaison for children living in high-risk situations
- Youth Lodge -co-ed residence for youth ages 12-18 experiencing serious difficulties in their lives
- Men's Program - support and counselling available for men who have been abused or are abusive
- Emergency Shelter - 24-hour safe shelter for abused individuals and their children; provides in-house individual and group counselling
- Next Step Housing - individuals and their children who require housing on reserve may stay up to two years Individual and group counselling supports are available
- Community Education - available to present information to the community regarding the dynamics of abuse and its effects on individuals, families, and communities
Brantford, ON, N3R 4J8
An agency working to end interpersonal violence and abuse by supporting individuals and families who have experienced domestic violence, intimate partner violence, or gender-based violence through the provision of crisis intervention, emergency shelter, transitional support, children's programs, and counselling; and by fostering accountability for those who harm through intervention, counselling, public education, and systemic advocacy
Programs and services include:
- Crisis Line, Online Chat Service and Emergency Shelter - Offering a 24-hour crisis and support line and an online chat service. The agency operates a 33-bed emergency shelter (including three fully accessible rooms) for women and children escaping violence, abuse or homelessness and providing a safe haven, meals, support, information and referrals to community resources
- Transitional and Housing Support - Assisting women who have experienced violence or abuse in their relationship and are transitioning. Support workers help to develop a plan to leave an abusive relationship, to transition into a shelter, to transition from a shelter to the community, or to transition from an abusive living environment to an independent, violence-free life. The second-stage housing program offers transitional units with additional wrap-around support for women and children
- Counselling Services and Family Programs including:
- Trauma-informed counselling for individuals who have experienced violence or abuse in their relationships to support their healing journey
- Caring Families program to help parents/caregivers create respectful adult relationships and a positive co-parenting approach with their children
- Child Witness program for children who have witnessed violence or abuse against their mothers
- Challenge to Change program for individuals who have been abusive towards their partners or are at risk of using abusive behaviours and includes partner contact, youth support services, PAR (for men and women) and SCRIBE
- Family Court Support - Providing information, resources, support and accompaniment for clients who have experienced intimate partner violence, to family court, lawyer's appointments and also assist in navigating the family court system
- Community Engagement and Public Education - Raising awareness through presentations/seminars/webinars delivered to community agencies, schools, businesses, clubs, religious institutions and other groups on domestic violence, teen dating violence, human trafficking, sexual harassment and healthy relationships
- Volunteer Program - Volunteers play a major role with fundraising and special events and assist staff in providing services and programs to clients. Positions include Child and Youth Program Assistant, Donations Facilitator, Special Events Volunteer and Receptionist
Brantford, ON, N3R 4J8
Crisis Line and Emergency Shelter
- 24-hour crisis support line and online chat service
- 33-bed shelter for women and children escaping violence, abuse or homelessness
- provides meals, toiletries, clothing, baby essentials, emergency transportation and referrals to community resources
Cambridge, ON, N1R 8P2
Emergency shelter
- Offers a wide variety of programs and services
- Meals
- Addiction support and referrals
- Medical clinic
- Identification clinic
- Clean needle exchange program
- Housing support
- Supportive housing
Cambridge, ON, N1R 8P2
Cambridge, ON, N1R 8M5
Emergency shelter for abused women
- Administration 905-332-1200
- North Shelter (Milton and Halton Hills) 905-878-8970
- South Shelter (Burlington and Oakville) 905-332-1593
For national online directory of shelters for women experiencing abuse, see sheltersafe.ca
Major Services:
- 24 hour crisis lines for abused women
- HWP Chat provides online support, Mon-Sun 24 hrs, from a trained Violence Against Women Counsellor
- safe shelter accommodation, food, and basic personal items for abused women and their dependent children
- individual and/or supportive group counselling at the shelter
- community agency information and referral when necessary
- court support for interim custody and restraining orders
- children's services
- emergency transportation to shelter, if necessary
- depart planning
- SafePet Program
- advocacy and public education around ending violence against women
- transitional housing - helps facilitate housing opportunities for women and children as they journey forward towards a life free from violence and abuse
- accepts donations of goods for those in the shelter and those moving from the shelter to permanent housing (see list of needs here)
Family Court Support Worker Program
Facilitates a victim's understanding of and passage through the familly court system.
Support provided includes:
- information on the family court process
- assistance in preparing for family court proceedings (documenting history of abuse, accessing Legal Aid)
- debriefing with clients following family court appearances
- referral to specialized services and supports in the community
- safety planning
- court accompaniment to proceedings when appropriate
Schools programs
- EngageMENt 'male ally' program is a conversation-based 4-week program led by a male facilitator that guides male students through discussion around popular and sports culture, through a gender lens, and discusses what 'healthy masculinity' means, wrapping up by planning an experiential or service learning initiative (participants may receive up to 15 volunteer hours toward their Community Involvement requirement)
For full directory of "How to" listings on different topics, see here
Shelter Intake
For intake to shelters in the region of Halton, call Access Halton at 3-1-1
- Please note: Individuals who are willing to accept support or services from Halton Region will be provided emergency shelter
- unhoused or sleeping outside?
- contact Halton Social and Community Services at [email protected] or 1-866-442-5866
- experiencing a mental health crisis?
- call COAST at 1-877-825-9011
- for more details see here
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The following is an overview of emergency shelters in the Halton Region and surrounding areas
Salvation Army Halton Lighthouse Shelter
- 905-339-2918 or call 3-1-1 and ask for referral
- emergency shelter services for males 16yrs and older
- located in Oakville, shelter may be able to arrange transportation
- for more details see full listing here
Wesley Housing Services - Halton
- call 3-1-1 and ask for referral
- emergency shelter services for youth, single females and families
- intake staff through Wesley will assist in finding temporary housing
- for more details see full listing here
Bridging the Gap
- a voluntary program offered to youth ages 16 to 24 yrs who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless that provides case management support in finding Ontario Works, food, alternative education, work, housing, counselling, financial management, and life skills
- to make a referral, contact a Transitional Youth Worker at 1-877-425-8661 or [email protected], Mon-Fri, 9 am-4:30 pm
- for more details see full listing here
Halton Womens Place
- Emergency Shelter for abused women, their dependent children and pets
- Shelters
- South Halton (Burlington) 905-332-1593
- North Halton (Milton) 905-878-8970
- Crisis Phone
- South Halton (Burlington) 905-332-7892
- North Halton (Milton) 905-878-8555
- administration 905-332-1200
- online chat through HPW Chat
- protects pets from violence through the SafePet Program
- for more details see full listing here
Shifra Homes Maternity Residences
- provides the basic needs of life: shelter, food, clothes, safety and support, to pregnant women 16 to 30 yrs, who need support during their pregnancy
- accommodation, pregnancy counselling, and support services during pregnancy, childbirth and for a period after the birth, for the young women, their babies and family members
- 905-681-9633, [email protected]
- for more details see full listing here
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Emergency Shelter's in Surrounding Regions
ShelterSafe.ca
- an online clickable map that connects women with the nearest shelter
- map provides the shelter's 24 hour phone number and/or website, and information on each shelter's pet policy, wheelchair accessibility, and availability of children's programming
- for more details see full listing here
Hamilton
- to find shelter information call 211
- for more information on shelters in the Hamilton area, see here
Niagara
- call 211 to connect with a local shelter, if all shelter beds are full, ask to be connected with Niagara Assertive Street Outreach for more support
- for more information on shelters in Niagara Region, see here
Peel
- to find shelter information call shelter intake at 905-450-1996
- for more information on shelters in Peel, see here
Wellington County and City of Guelph
- to find shelter information call the Housing and Shelter Prevention and Diversion Line at 226-821-3345
- for more Information on shelters in Wellington County, see here
Toronto
- to find shelter information call the central intake line 1-877-338-3398
- for Street Outreach Services call 311
- for more information on shelters in the City of Toronto, see here
Cambridge, ON, N3H 4L3
Space for up to 16 higher medical clients from across the region who are homeless and need more care
Cambridge, ON, N3H 3W9
- Food, shelter and 24-hour staff support
- Voluntary life-skills acquisition program
- Also operates a charity thrift store called Uptown Thrift which is located in the heart of downtown Preston.
Emergency shelter for women and their children leaving abusive situations.
- shelter for those experiencing physical, emotional, sexual, verbal, financial abuse and / or stalking or human trafficking
- safety planning
- assistance with housing, legal, financial and custody issues
- individual and group counselling
- advocacy / accompaniment to police, court, hospital, lawyer, housing, etc
- referral to community supports / resources
- access to all other Guelph-Wellington Women in Crisis programs
- client library and resource materials
Note: Women and their children are provided with private bedrooms; single women sometimes have to share a bedrooms; all other common spaces such as living rooms, bathrooms, kitchen, recreation and play areas are shared.
Guelph, ON, N1H 4G9
Stepping Stone helps individuals and families experiencing homelessness step forward on a path toward securing permanent housing in Guelph-Wellington through housing focused programs and individualized support for adults ad families.
Areas of focus and service include:
- preventative action to help those at risk of homelessness
- individualized plans for those struggling to attain a long-term residence
Prevention & Diversion:
- prevention assistance supports households in preserving their current housing situation
- diversion support assists adults and families in finding housing outside of shelter
- prevention and diversion services help stabilize current situations while assisting with a permanent housing solution
Housing Focused Outreach:
Housing Focused Outreach worker visits locations known to have individuals who are precariously housed, at risk of homelessness, or experiencing homelessness. Services include:
- assess needs of individuals and families through a standardized assessment tool
- assist with aquiring suitable housing
- identify intervention recommendations
- supports their transition to a case manager
23 Gordon St. Overnight Emergency Shelter:
- previously known as the Warming Centre
- provides warm meal, shower, and overnight shelter
- accommodates up to 40 people ; one bed dedicated to the safe bed program, on a first-come, first-served basis
- supported by Diversion team, Housing Stability Outreach and Housing Focused Outreach
Grace Gardens Permanent Supportive Housing:
- individuals experiencing chronic homelessness, mental health issues and / or addiction
- Mon-Sun, 24/7 support services
Housing Focused 24/7 Supportive Shelter:
- supports approximately 64 people who are experiencing homelessness
- Stepping Stone works in collaboration with community organizations to deliver mental health, addiction, and medical support to individuals staying at the shelter
- focus is to provide access to food, showers, nursing, harm reduction, and court support
- individuals have their own rooms, common space, etc.
- support team (shelter support and housing stability staff), on site 24/7 to support residents and help them achieve their housing goals
- Dedicated pets and couples rooms
Housing Stablity Program:
- supports a caseload of individuals and families who have completed the common assessment tools
- a recovery-oriented approach to ending homelessness
- quick movement from homelessness into independent and permanent housing
- provide additional supports and services as needed
Guelph, ON, N1E 2X2
Programs include Marianne's Place (shelter), Transitional and Housing Support Program, Family Court Support Program, Rural Women's Support Program, Sexual Assault Centre, 24-hour Crisis Line, and the Anti-Human Trafficking Program.
Guelph, ON, N1H 2G6
Wyndham House Youth Shelter open 24 hours a day and all meals provided. Call for information.
A 16-bed facility providing temporary shelter for youth. A shelter overflow process exists; no one is turned away. Services include:
- laundry facilities, showers, meals
- referrals to community resources
- life skills training
- supportive guidance
- recreational activities
- assistance in finding permanent housing
- weekly access to Registered Nurse Practitioner
Related and additional services provided at Concurrent Specialized Youth Hub, Youth Resource Centre (133 Woolwich St)
Kitchener, ON, N2A 3N8
Emergency shelter for abused women
