Domestic violence survivor, now homeless, exposes gaps in shelter system

A domestic violence survivor in Waterloo Region managed to leave her abuser, but is now forced to live on the streets.

She initially shared with CTV News her fears of falling through the gaps of the shelter system back in August. We got an update from her on Wednesday.

“Would you rather be homeless or would you rather be beaten?” she said of her current housing choices.

The woman, who is not being identified for her safety, spent some time at Anselma House but survivors can’t stay indefinitely at the women’s shelter.

Since leaving Anselma House, she’s spent more than a month on the streets.

“Try sleeping on a cold pavement – try it. Curl up in a ball see long you last, how long before you feel sick.”

She sleeps during the day and rides public transit until she gets kicked off.

She told CTV News she doesn’t feel safe in the dark so she stays up all night.

“For me, being a woman and being a woman who has been abused for so long -- I'm scared of my own shadow most of the time,” she admits.

If she stayed with her ex-partner, she fears she could have died.

“There was talk about losing my fingers and my toes so I couldn’t walk,” she recalls.

The woman says she’s grateful for Anselma House and the people who work there. She still visits weekly for therapy sessions, but knows the shelter couldn’t do much more for her.

“They've put missing pieces of me back that I couldn't have done on my own,” she says.

No shelter space

Women’s Crisis Services of Waterloo Region are the ones who run Anselma House.

According to CEO Jennifer Hutton, they see more than 400 clients every year.

“Over the past few years, the average length of stay in our emergency shelters has increased significantly due to the lack of affordable housing options. From 2020 to 2024, the average length of stay increased by 50 per cent,” she explained in a statement to CTV News.

Hutton also says the organization will continue to advocate for more affordable housing and transitional housing supports to help free up space for future clients.

But right now, there’s a limit on what they can do for survivors.

Affordable housing

The woman says she signed up for affordable housing but she’s still on the waitlist.

“I've suffered so much for so long. I finally got the strength to go. And this is where I sit? That's not right. It's not right for me. It's not right for the ones that come after me.”

The Region of Waterloo says it’s aware of the ongoing affordable housing crisis and the impact felt across the community.

“Regional staff and community partner outreach support workers connect with individuals to offer referrals to emergency shelters and other temporary accommodation supports,” a spokesperson for the region said in a statement.

The region also promised to continue prioritizing investments in affordable and supportive housing to create more housing options for those who need it.

MPP reacts

Aislinn Clancy, the MPP for Kitchener Centre, says the woman’s story is – unfortunately – not a unique one.

“It's just it's a failing of our system. I think it's Gandhi who said you judge society on how they care for their most vulnerable.”

Clancy says she’ll continue to lobby the government to help vulnerable populations.

“I think it has a lot to do with the lack of support from our provincial government to keep tenants safe and protected, and also to ensure that we're mindful of the housing crisis we're in and doing something meaningful to address it,” she states.

The domestic violence survivor says all she can do is wait and try to survive yet another bump on the road to a better life.

“Homelessness is something that I don't think people really realize how exhausting [it is], how degrading,” she told CTV News.