'There's no room': Lethbridge YWCA at capacity, turning women away
Officials with the Lethbridge YWCA say health restrictions put in place due to COVID-19 have forced the organization to operate at 50 per cent capacity, reducing available beds from 24 to 12.
"Somebody comes to your door and needs a space, to have to say 'I’m sorry, but there's no room at the inn,' it's so difficult and traumatizing, especially when you hear their stories," said YWCA Lethbridge interim CEO Tracy James.
The Lethbridge YWCA helps women in need who are facing homelessness, domestic violence or sexual violence.
James said 1,026 women have been turned away over the past 10 months as a result of limited space.
"It's not uncommon for us, if someone is needing to flee in the middle of the night, we'll open our living room and have them sleep on the couch and try to work on some housing or some referrals when they get up in the morning just to keep them safe," said James.
The YWCA has transferred some clients to surrounding community shelters including in Taber.
James said an alternative to staying at the shelter is helping find affordable housing for victims fleeing domestic violence, but that can be quite a challenge.
“The market has been a challenge, the inventory is so thin,” said Renter’s Choice and Management general manager Amy Breznik.
Renter's Choice compares the market for a single family home in Lethbridge to finding a needle in a haystack. According to Renter’s Choice, a single bedroom apartment on their website is currently going for $900 including utilities.
Breznik says the demand isn’t just in Lethbridge, with surrounding communities also facing a high need. But once a house is found, the challenges don't stop there.
"They need to have a strong application because they're competing with others. We are looking to get references or housing references, if they don't have those references, it's tough to then continue to be competitive… and most times they may lose the home,” said Breznik.
To help alleviate some of this problem, the City of Lethbridge has created the Municipal Housing Strategy.
In a statement to CTV News, the City says;
"Although the City of Lethbridge does not own or manage social or affordable housing, we have taken a leadership role to facilitate, convene and coordinate key housing stakeholders to promote collaboration and partnerships between housing stakeholders, and to advocate for capital and program funding to ensure our community’s housing needs are met. This is a community issue that requires a collective solution."
James says despite having to turn people away, those in need of a safe place should not give up trying at the YWCA.
"Just because we say we don't have space one day, we always encourage people to call back, even call back in the same day… Maybe somebody has found a spot and has been able to move out,” said James.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'One of the single most terrifying things ever': Ontario couple among passengers on sinking tour boat in Dominican Republic
A Toronto couple are speaking out about their “extremely dangerous” experience on board a sinking tour boat in the Dominican Republic last week.
Half of Canadians have negative opinion of latest Liberal budget: poll
A new poll suggests the Liberals have not won over voters with their latest budget, though there is broad support for their plan to build millions of homes.
opinion Why you should protect your investments by naming a trusted contact person
Appointing a trusted person to help with financial obligations can give you peace of mind. In his personal finance column for CTVNews.ca, Christopher Liew outlines the key benefits of naming a confidant to take over your financial responsibilities, if the need ever arises.
Teacher shortages see some Ontario high school students awarded perfect grades on midterm exams
Students at a high school in York Region have been awarded perfect marks on their midterm exams in three subjects – not because of their academic performances however, but because they had no teacher.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.
Ottawa injects another $36M into vaccine injury compensation fund
The federal government has added $36.4 million to a program designed to support people who have been seriously injured or killed by vaccines since the end of 2020.
Photographer alleges he was forced to watch Megan Thee Stallion have sex and was unfairly fired
A photographer who worked for Megan Thee Stallion said in a lawsuit filed Tuesday that he was forced to watch her have sex, was unfairly fired soon after and was abused as her employee.
An Ontario senior thought he called Geek Squad for help with his printer. Instead, he got scammed out of $25,000
An Ontario senior’s attempt to get technical help online led him into a spoofing scam where he lost $25,000. Now, he’s sharing his story to warn others.
Her fiance has been in prison for 49 years. She's trying to free him before it’s too late
She was lying in bed on a Thursday morning, thinking about the man she loved, hoping to win his freedom before time ran out.