Local club raising funds for new women’s shelter in Cambridge as it reaches full capacity

Kicking on cowboy boots, the Rotary Club of Cambridge (Preston and Hespeler) is hoping to raise some much-needed donations for the new women’s shelter that opened two weeks ago.

It comes at an important time; the YWCA Cambridge is predicting that the shelter will be full by the end of this week.

The local club members typically host a gala event, but they wanted to do something more fun this year that would be less expensive for the community to attend, they’re calling it Boots and Bands. It will bring some locally famous country musicians to the Newfoundland Club on Dunbar Road March 29.

The organizers were looking for a new event when they were approached by Kim Decker, the CEO of YWCA Cambridge, that runs the new temporary women’s shelter in Galt at Grace Bible Church. She inspired them to get more involved, prompting them to raise funds through the event.

“We think that the shelter is going to fill a void that’s really been there within the community, we thought it was a wonderful cause and something we really wanted to support,” said Tracey Dingwall, one of the organizers and a member.

“You can buy tickets you can also show your support by donating an item to our live auction and you can also sponsor the event.”

They will host live bands like Evermile, Jessie T., Drew Leith as well as line dancing, food, auctions and prizes for the community.

Dingwall mentioned that they wanted to help create a safe space for women to be able to go when in a difficult situation. They hope the event highlights the real need for shelters in the area.

It’s set to be the first fundraiser for the shelter since it opened Feb. 24. In an interview with CityNews Kitchener, Decker said she was grateful for the Rotary Club members support and donations being put towards the shelter. Those donations will go towards keeping their shelves full of items women need.

“We will have ongoing needs as we get more fully into operations, so things like menstrual products, toiletries and toilet paper and paper towel, all of those kinds of things will be ongoing needs in the shelter. Having third party fundraisers like this allows us to replenish those items,” said Decker.

“By the end of this week we will be full with 20 women, we’ve been doing a staggered intake over the last couple weeks. The staff have been doing a great job, the women are coming in with very complex needs.”

A lack of shelter spaces for women in the region has been a problem but there are plans in place to address it. The region is currently in the process of renovating 84 Frederick St. and when it’s officially done it will be a shelter for women and gender-diverse people.

The King Street Shelter that services women experiencing homelessness is only running until the end of March this year. Decker mentioned that over the past few weeks their shelter manager has been doing transfers, bringing women in from that shelter that have connections to Cambridge’s community.

The space is only temporary, now that it’s finished Decker plans to continue searching for a permanent location to host their 20-bed shelter.

Go here to learn about how to purchase tickets to Boots and Bands.