Non-profit doubles shelter spaces for Muslim women and children

The Nisa Foundation, a non-profit organization, has doubled its transitional shelter capacity specifically catering to Muslim women with immigrant or refugee status and their children.

The program offers culturally sensitive living spaces, in-house case workers, and counselling.

“They come here and are facing domestic violence, but also facing language barriers, not having access to programs which lead to being able to find a job or move their life forward,” said Nisa Homes program director Syma Nehal.

Every night, more than 600 women and children across Canada are turned away from shelters due to a lack of space. Since its inception in 2016, the Nisa Foundation has established transitional housing in 10 cities across Canada and has sheltered more than 2,000 women and children facing abuse, homelessness, or poverty.

“The first week or second week, we see women who are in pain, hurt, they don’t know what to do, mostly crying in their casework meetings,” said Faten Soussi, an in-house caseworker at Nisa Homes.

“By the third month, the way I describe it is like I see butterflies. They know what to do. They have resources. They know they are not alone.”

Nisa Homes has added 14 new beds, but organizers say more support is needed to meet growing demand.

“We’ve seen a lot more calls, we see our waitlist skyrocket,” Nehal said.

“It is something we see across the sector in B.C., that transitional housing needs more beds.”

The foundation says 85 per cent of women who go through Nisa Homes are able to secure independent housing after 18 months.