Emergency Shelter

Are you in a dangerous situation? Call the crisis line or 911.

Where to find us

10am - 6pm Daily

Community Collective

940 Sheppard Avenue West
Toronto, ON
M3H 2T6

Our Intake Process

The NYWS Emergency Shelter is available to women and trans folks experiencing violence. For more information, please contact us.

About our Emergency Shelter

NYWS  provides a 17 bedrooms emergency shelter with the capacity to house up to 40 women and their children, plus - a first in the Toronto area - a kennel for their pets! Our fully accessible space provides outdoor gardens for culturally specific foods and indigenous medicines, living rooms, tech lounge, meditation room, 2 full kitchens, gym, indoor and outdoor play areas.

"NYWS was more like a home than a shelter. I felt “held” without pressure"

Niama

Trauma Counselling

Clients work with our team to define the goals and outcomes they would like to achieve through therapy. The program is committed to transparency, accountability and informed consent in all decisions regarding the women and their children.

Expressive Arts Therapy program

Expressive Arts Therapy uses an intermodal, approach to counselling by integrating all the artistic expressions such as music, theatre, poetry, dance, writing, drawing or other artistic form that uses the individual’s innate creativity. Art is used as a therapeutic tool to help initiate change or self-reflection.

Food Justice & Food Security program

The FSFJ program’s primary objective is supporting residents towards accessing their right to nutritious, culturally competent foods, resource development and the knowledge transfer and exchange (KTE) that comes with the community development. This is a protective factor for food insecurity for residents when they leave the shelter. FSFJ also creates cultural safety for Indigenous women and women of colour for whom a lack of culturally competent foods is a form of structural violence.

Pets

We are a pet-friendly shelter and pets are seen as part of your family.

Are you with NYWS?

Support a future where violence is less prevalent