In December 2024, the regional council discussed whether to approve the proposed police budget, as they considered ways to reduce the expected property tax increase.
The Waterloo Regional Police Services (WRPS) proposed an increase of $24 million for the 2025 budget. The total proposed budget of $252.5 million is a 10.5 per cent increase from last year’s budget.
Regional Councillor Rob Deutschmann presented a motion last month to ask the WRPS to reduce their increase by $4 million, but that motion failed.
As the police budget is set to increase again this year, it’s worth examining how policing impacts those without housing, especially women and gender-diverse individuals.
The Project Willow report, which highlighted how hidden homelessness is especially prevalent for women and gender-diverse individuals, stated that 73 per cent of survey respondents avoided using co-ed emergency shelter services because of safety concerns and 92 per cent of participants experienced violence weekly.
The report also noted that many respondents felt comfortable talking to staff at social services about their safety concerns or experiences with violence.
However, only two per cent of respondents felt comfortable disclosing such information to police officers and 67 per cent shared that they had experienced violence but did not disclose that to the police.
“The majority of participants had complicated feelings regarding law enforcement. These feelings stemmed from direct experiences with the police as well as their fear of more violence after police involvement. It all amounted to a severe lack of trust in the law enforcement process,” the report stated.
A common fear about calling the police was the threat of violence escalating. When reaching out to the police for assistance, many respondents said they were blamed by police, instead of helped.
Project Willow participants believe that a judgement-free option is needed that does not risk family or relationship breakdowns.
“Restorative justice was seen by some as a therapeutic opportunity for folks to work through their trauma, a way to stop the hurt from happening over and over, a way to recognize the help both parties needed and a way to avoid situations getting worse with time,” the Project Willow report stated.
Women and gender-diverse individuals who do not feel safe in a co-ed shelter environment may choose to camp outdoors instead.
However, at the request of 12 Ontario mayors, Premier Doug Ford recently announced that he will support cities in dismantling encampments, relying on the notwithstanding clause if necessary.
“Should the courts interfere with our shared goal of effectively addressing and clearing out encampments using these enhanced tools, with your support, our government is fully prepared to use the notwithstanding clause,” Ford said.
A 2023 Ontario Superior Court decision by Justice Valente ruled that if a municipality does not have sufficient shelter spaces to meet current needs, dismantling encampments on public property violates Section 7 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
Unlike some previous policy decisions, the Plan to End Chronic Homelessness (PECH) relies heavily on input from the community, especially those who have experienced homelessness and those who work in shelter and housing services.
“The Plan to End Chronic Homelessness shifted power, recognizing community and earned knowledge. We were able to finally start asking not if, but how is women’s homelessness different,” Jen Gordon, community advocate and researcher for Project Willow, said.
The PECH recommends 30 actions to end chronic homelessness by 2030 and is guided by seven strategic focus areas, including policy and system accountability, centering community voices, building system bridges and focusing on preventing homelessness.
While the closing of the women’s shelter at 84 Frederick St. has left a gap in services, it may provide an opportunity to improve the system overall.
In fact, past challenges in providing support for women and gender-diverse individuals experiencing homelessness may have been, in part, due to a focus on a specific location instead of the system itself.
“If we look at the historical patterns that got us here, 60-ish beds in one location—is that meeting the needs we have? And if not, how do we not end up here again or repeat the same patterns?” Gordon asked.
The YW Kitchener-Waterloo (YWKW), which owned and operated the 84 Frederick St. Shelter, also believes that the old model needs to be improved.
“We envision a new model of providing shelter, involving two or three smaller sites, each with 20 to 30 beds and with options for clients working toward sobriety and others still active in their addictions. The model will include an interdisciplinary team bringing supports to clients at each of the shelters,” Karen Coviello, President of the board, YW Kitchener-Waterloo, wrote.
Gordon wants people to remember that their voice is important to the success of the PECH.
“Citizens’ voices matter in this too. How do we build something more robust from this canvas that is momentarily blank?” Gordon said.
While the public input sessions for the 2025 regional budget are now complete, residents can contact regional councillors at any time.
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