Toronto women’s shelter scrambling to raise funds after water leak reveals $250K in building damages

Laverne Blake, the interim executive director at north Etobicoke's Ernestine's Women's Shelter, stands next to a a wall affected by water damage in the building's child and youth room. (Supplied)

A north Etobicoke-based emergency shelter for women, children, and gender-diverse individuals fleeing violence is scrambling to raise funds after a severe water leak revealed the building has sustained $250,000 in damages.

Late last month, a series of heavy rainfalls resulted in significant water seepage through the walls at the back of the first floor and in the basement of Ernestine’s Women’s Shelter, a 32-bed residence in Toronto’s Rexdale neighbourhood.

Upon further investigation, it was determined that the two-storey, accessible building, which opened in 2005, appears to have long-standing issues with grading and waterproofing, Laverne Blake, the shelter’s interim executive director, told CP24 late last week.

At this point, however, contractors are still working to determine the exact cause and source of the leak, she noted.

“Now, every time it rains more water is coming in,” Blake said, adding they’re working as quickly as possible to ensure the issues don’t get any worse.

So far, several areas of the multi-purpose building have been affected: the child and youth room, one of the counselling rooms, outreach offices, the homework/computer room, various storage spaces, and offices.

Many items inside those spaces have been contaminated and they’ve had to throw them out, the non-profit added.

For now, the building’s main living quarters on the second level, including all bedrooms, appear to be okay.

The affected spaces, however, have been sealed off to ensure the safety of residents and staff, and will remain off limits until mould remediation and infrastructure repairs are completed, Ernestine’s said.

The closures have amounted to a loss of programming for residents, especially its youngest ones, who spend hundreds of hours there each year.

Blake said she and her team are especially worried that further water damage will be found in the other private counselling rooms and outreach spaces, which are used to make important one-on-one connections with survivors as well as provide clients with housing and legal support.

“Every wall we open reveals more damage, and with it, a greater risk of losing the very spaces that help families… Every program closure means fewer opportunities for families to heal and rebuild their lives. These programs aren’t extras. They are lifelines,” she said.

“If we can’t complete these repairs, we may be forced to close meaning many survivors in crisis will have nowhere to go.”

Repairs currently not covered by insurance

At this point, it looks like the cost of most of the repairs will be not be covered by insurance as it appears that the water came from an outside source. Discussions are currently underway with the provider, Ernestine’s said.

In the meantime, the non-profit has launched an online emergency appeal for donations to help pay for the timely repair and remediation of its building’s extensive water and mould damage.

So far, about $20,000 has been raised, however Ernestine’s told CP24 that it has already spent more than $50,000 in order to get a head start on mitigating the issue.

They’ve also made urgent requests to all three levels of government for emergency assistance, but at this time have not received anything.

“We’re already stretched to the limit with a growing a gender-based violence crisis. We can’t possibly absorb a $250,000 bill for emergency repairs,” Blake said, adding that Ernestine’s, which is constantly over-capacity, would much rather be focusing its fundraising efforts on increasing shelter beds and hiring more staff, instead of costly building repairs.

This year, Ernestine’s, which receives funding from the municipal, provincial, and federal governments, must raise $800,000 to keep its programs and services going.

‘We obviously didn’t budget for these unexpected building repair costs’

“We obviously didn’t budget for these unexpected building repair costs,” Blake said.

“Fundraising is already a challenge for us, especially in these difficult economic times.”

In 2024, 44 adults and 44 children/youth stayed at Ernestine’s, which provides essential wraparound support services and ensures residents have everything they might need during their stay, from clothing and toiletries to school supplies, baby items, prescriptions, and Presto cards. Most residents live there for about six months to a year.

The shelter’s outreach program also supports an additional 650 people in the community annually and responded to more than 1,300 urgent calls from women, individuals, and families in immediate danger last year alone through its crisis line.