A temporary place to stay has been found for more than 100 women experiencing homelessness until a more permanent shelter and housing solution can be found.

More than 100 of Ottawa’s most vulnerable residents will lose their shelter at the end of June if Cornerstone Housing for Women cannot find an interim site for its emergency shelter within three weeks.

On April 29, 2021 Cornerstone Housing for Women was thrilled to receive the news that Ottawa Community Foundation is providing us with $10,000 towards Cornerstone’s Anti-Racism Training Pilot Program.

Cornerstone, along with many in our community celebrated after hearing the guilty verdict for murder and manslaughter handed down to the now former Minneapolis police officer on April 20, 2021 who caused the death of George Floyd. We along with many, for a moment, breathed a sigh of relief.

When he used to pin me against a wall, I remember thinking I was still in control of the situation- Even in the experience of my trauma I tried to manage it by using deescalation techniques including aftercare, debrief, and reconnecting. As a person who has committed their entire professional career to the most marginalized women and gender-diverse people in our country- I knew how to handle trauma and crisis well.

Pre-pandemic, we would not think to put more than two women in one room at our shelter, we believe in providing dignified spaces for women. But, COVID-19 and the stay-at-home orders have left Cornerstone needing to open more beds at our emergency shelter.

Cornerstone Housing for Women is thrilled to announce that our women’s shelter and Booth Street Supportive Housing Residence have been re-prioritized to receive the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine in phase-one of the vaccine rollout. This good news came from The City of Ottawa on March 3, 2021.

Due to the recent increase of COVID-19 cases in Ottawa, Shepherds of Good Hope, The Salvation Army Ottawa Booth Centre, Cornerstone Housing for Women and The Ottawa Mission, in coordination with Ottawa Public Health (OPH) and Ottawa Inner City Health (OICH), proactively initiated sector-wide testing earlier this month. As a result of this testing, multiple positive cases have been identified at these locations.

It's a chilly September morning, another busy day ahead of me. My first appointment is with Adelaide. She has a PhD and is sharing stories about her research all over the world. I'm amazed and can’t help but think about the things that must have happened that led her to be sitting across from me. I’m a case manager at an Ottawa homeless shelter. She is experiencing homelessness