1st shelter for Muslim women opens in Hamilton | 24CA News

For the primary time within the Hamilton space, Muslim ladies in want of shelter companies now have an choice particularly for them.

Nisa Homes, a corporation with 9 different shelters throughout Canada, has opened its tenth shelter, this one in Hamilton. An official launch takes place Tuesday afternoon at metropolis corridor, on the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women. 

Yasmine Youssef, program director at Nisa Homes, informed CBC Hamilton that shelters like this are wanted due to a requirement for beds and for areas for marginalized individuals to really feel secure.

“There’s a lot of fear and stigma, because of racism, because of Islamophobia, because of anti-Asian hate. You’re seeing a lot of people afraid to reach out because they don’t know how they’re going to be received,” she mentioned.

The shelter, which has already begun to soak up households, caters to Muslim ladies however is open to all ladies. However, its capability is restricted to 16 individuals.

Nisa Homes says 63 of each 100 ladies that come to the group’s shelters face home violence. Youssef mentioned many are additionally ladies of color who might not converse English and haven’t got immigration standing. 

“There’s so many barriers immigrants specifically face that need to be addressed…. But there’s nothing that supports women that are immigrants who are also fleeing domestic violence,” she mentioned. 

She mentioned purchasers inform her that culturally applicable assist will be onerous to entry. 

“They tell us, ‘Yeah, I did try to reach out for help, and when I was speaking to [other service providers], they told me the problem is that [I’m] Muslim, [I] have to leave Islam, and then everything will be OK.'”

Youssef has been with Nisa Homes since its launch in 2015, when just one shelter was arrange in Mississauga. 

The group now has shelters throughout the nation, together with in Vancouver, Calgary and Montreal.

Culturally particular companies

Sabreina Dahab, Ward 2 trustee on the Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board, mentioned she was “really, really excited” and emotional concerning the opening of this shelter. 

Dahab mentioned lately, she has labored with and supported Muslim ladies by connecting them with assets and translation companies.

“It felt really lonely and isolating to be doing this without an agency to support or without like a network. [Now] I can respond to this more systemically [instead of] one person in the community who is trying to do this by themselves,” she mentioned.

Dahab added that areas like this are very important for offering culturally particular companies for Muslim ladies, saying she’s heard of girls who are usually not “even given access to halal meat” at different shelters.

“All of these things are essential for not only escaping and leaving the necessity of violence situations, but to be able to be well supported in this city.”

Lack of knowledge

Youssef mentioned though she is aware of from expertise that there’s a want for culturally particular shelters, the demographics are under-researched.

“At the moment, shelters and transitional homes don’t track anything outside of whether you speak French or English. And whether you’re Indigenous or not. They don’t track racial data. They don’t track religious data, none of that stuff is required,” she mentioned.

Youssef mentioned some causes may be systemic racism and the pressure shelters face simply to perform.

“Our shelter system is the same as it was what in the ’60s and ’70s…. But our population, our community, our society looks so different now than it did in the ’60s and ’70s,” she mentioned.

“It [would be] easier to advocate for something and to get changes passed when you have numbers to back up what you’re saying.”

‘They’re not alone’

Youssef mentioned the final purpose is to assist these ladies heal.

“We make sure we use [our services] to make them feel more comfortable … to make them feel like this can actually work and they can get back on their feet. They’re not alone…. They can survive on their own without their abuser,” she mentioned.

“We get so many clients — more often than not — telling us ‘the only reason I decided to reach out to you was because I knew you understood where I’m coming from, you look like me, you speak like me,'” she mentioned.