New, larger Haven House women's shelter opens in Cambridge

Women's Crisis Services in the Region of Waterloo have opened the doors of a new, larger shelter in Cambridge to accommodate up to 45 women escaping abusive relationships.

Haven House offers enhanced security, programming and outreach services to women and their children who will call the 10 Acorn Way shelter their temporary home.

Mary Zilney, the CEO of Women's Crisis Services said its size speaks to the severity of violence against women in the community.

Need to increase services to fill demand

An increase in the number of women needing support led to overcrowding at the previous Haven House shelter. That mean women and children had to eat in shifts, while common areas were cramped and crowded. 

"I think there's still somewhat a belief that Waterloo Region doesn't have an issue with domestic violence, and that's certainly not the case," Zilney said.

"As the Region continues to grow, and we all know that's happening, we also need to increase services so we can fill the demand."

The total cost of the project for the 32,000-square-foot location was $9.4 million but fundraising efforts were short $2 million. That means fundraising will continue on a regular basis.

"We're hoping that people realize that we're still looking for donations and any amount would be helpful to reduce the $2 million before it's actually turned into a mortgage at the end of the month."  

The first of the 45 women will move into the shelter next week.