Women's refugee house opens 2nd location in Ottawa

An Ottawa shelter for refugee women fleeing abuse or violence has opened a new location.

Ottawa's Carty House unveiled its second shelter — dubbed Carty House II — in Vanier on Friday, the organization's first expansion since being founded in 2001.

The new facility will be able to house 15 residents for up to two years at a time, bringing Carty House's total capacity to 27 residents.

Its opening comes as refugee claimants make up an increasingly large share of the city's shelter population.

Executive director Louise Ebeltoft said it's been "heartbreaking" to turn away refugee women from the first Carty House on a weekly basis because they just didn't have enough space.

"We are honoured to provide a safe place for them to call home when they arrive in Canada and to journey with each woman as she rebuilds her life, one step at a time," Ebeltoft said. 

City pledging long-term support

Carty House II is primarily funded by the City of Ottawa, which wanted a way to support more of the homeless refugees in the city.

"Investing money into a something like a transition home, diverting people from emergency shelters, giving them that safe space — it makes sense financially, community-wise, safety-wise," Ebeltoft said.

The city funds the overall operations at Carty House II along with some leasing and staffing costs, according to Rachel Ladouceur, the acting manager for Ottawa's housing and homelessness services.

Carty House II is just one of many initiatives the city has underway to support newcomers in Ottawa, who are disproportionately represented in the homeless population, Ladouceur said.

Its funding will be long-term, she added.

Refugee population in shelters rising

According to Ladouceur, around 60 per cent of the people in Ottawa's community and emergency shelters are refugees.

Before the pandemic, that number was around 10 or 15 per cent.

"We really have to gear our services to the newcomers and the refugees that are coming into our country and to our city," Ladouceur said, noting that those at Carty House are "subject matter experts" when it comes to their needs.

Soon, the new home will be full of life.

Eight women staying at the Heron Road Community Centre — which is currently being used as a shelter — are being transferred to Carty House II, while the rest of the spaces will be filled by women from the organization's wait list.

Rideau-Vanier Coun. Stéphanie Plante described the atmosphere at the house as "a big hug."

"There's a lot of chatter right now about our immigration system and what we need to do, but places like Carty House are the solution. And we want to copy-and-paste this model all over the city," she said.

"No matter what your setback is, you should have a place to call home."