For women experiencing homelessness, each day can feel uncertain and overwhelming. At YWCA Cambridge’ Women’s Emergency Homeless Shelter, we strive to create spaces where even small moments, sharing a cup of coffee, fitting pieces of a puzzle, or painting together, can bring comfort, connection, and meaning. These moments remind us that no one has to navigate hardship alone, and that resilience grows in the shared experiences of community.
Everyday Moments of Connection
One of the most beloved spots in the common area of our emergency shelter has become the puzzle table. Thanks to our staff – especially Angela – there isn’t a day that a puzzle isn’t spread across the table waiting to be solved. Some residents join in, fitting pieces together while chatting with others. Others prefer to sit nearby, doing their own thing, but still connected. In many ways, that puzzle table represents the spirit of the shelter; you can participate in your own way, at your own pace, but you’re never alone.
Shared meals, art sessions, and conversations over coffee have also helped create a space where residents can feel safe and connected. These seemingly small moments of belonging matter deeply in the journey out of homelessness, an often incredibly isolating and traumatizing experience for anyone.
Art, Healing and Expression
Earlier this summer, we welcomed The W facilitator and local artist Alana Decker into our shelter for collaborative painting sessions with both staff and residents. The sessions created a space to slow down, reflect, and build community through creativity. Alana is a survivor of gender-based violence (GBV) and intimate partner violence (IPV) who has personally experienced the refuge and support a shelter can provide. Her story brings a profound depth to her work, and she now facilitates therapeutic art sessions in the shelter to share with others what art has brought to her.
The first collaborative painting session Alana facilitated brought our shelter team together to co-create a bold, vibrant painting. The second session invited residents to contribute to a more intricate group piece that reflected shared experience and expression, [and healing]. Alana also created a third original, commissioned piece to celebrate the resilience and creativity in our shelter community.
All three pieces of art now proudly hang in the shelter. The staff painting brightens the front entryway, greeting everyone who comes in with energy and warmth. The residents’ collaborative piece hangs where it can be admired daily, a symbol of shared growth and belonging. The commissioned piece, which hangs in our meal service area, serves as a visual reminder of the care, resilience, and creativity that lives within our shelter walls and within each individual inside them.
These collective art sessions are a great example of how YWCA Cambridge’s programs are interconnected. From the creative empowerment of The W to the compassionate care of our shelter staff, we are building bridges between programs to foster belonging, expression, and joy.
A Whole-Community Effort
YWCA Cambridge has been advocating for a women’s shelter in Cambridge for years. When the Region of Waterloo issued a call for proposals to address homelessness in 2023, we put forward a plan for a shelter that is trauma-informed, gender-based-violence responsive, and rooted in community partnership. The Region recognized the urgent need and agreed to fund our operations, and Grace Bible Church stepped up to offer space for our temporary location in their spacious, windowed basement.
Operating funding is vital for us to be able to provide 24/7 shelter and supportive services to women experiencing homelessness in Cambridge, but it doesn’t cover everything. From beds to appliances and everyday essentials, we’ve relied on the generosity of our community to furnish the shelter and make it a welcoming space. That generosity has been incredible, and it continues to remind us that addressing homelessness requires an all-of-community approach.
Looking Ahead
As we continue searching for a permanent shelter location, our focus remains on building community, supporting residents, and celebrating milestones both big and small. Whether it’s solving a puzzle, finishing an art project, or sharing a meal, every moment of stability matters.
To everyone who has supported the shelter so far—through donations, partnerships, or encouragement—thank you. You are part of these connections, and we are so grateful to have you walking alongside us.
