Chch homeless women’s shelter opens quietly

Press, 3 September 1986, Page 7

Chch homeless women’s shelter opens quietly

Christchurch’s new night shelter for homeless women was empty on its first open night on Monday, but its organisers are not disappointed. "It is to be expected because the opening was so low key,” said the shelter’s spokeswoman, Ms Karen Brown. The Y.W.C.A. intends to have an official opening next month, but the shelter opened its doors on Monday because workers wanted to get it going. The shelter provides emergency housing for single women who do not have anywhere else to go. The women may be domestic violence victims, young women forced to leave home, or women

passing through Christchurch without a place to stay. It can accommodate seven women, but not children or partners. Other agencies such as the City Mission and Women’s Refuge safe houses provided shelter for men and women with children, said Ms Brown. It would take several months for the shelter to prove its worth, as women needed time to find out it was there, she said. Women who needed to use the shelter should telephone 31-786 after 4 p.m. or the Y.W.C.A. at 63-063. A night’s accommodation would cost $6 for those able to pay.