(Image Credit: Curtis Goodrum / CFJC Today)

By Curtis Goodrum

WOMEN'S SHELTER

Y Women’s Emergency Shelter provides safe space for Kamloops women and children fleeing violence

Jan 27, 2026 | 5:11 PM

KAMLOOPS — The Y Women’s Emergency Shelter helps support women and children in any way they can. The shelter has 23 beds and helps hundreds of people every year. It even has space for animals. The service has been operating in its current location for over 30 years and has seen a constant need for the space.

“We help more than 300 women and children every year. Some people might think 300 isn’t a whole lot, but you have to remember, we only have seven rooms. We only have 23 beds and we don’t have women who are here without their children. Once a family takes up a room, whether it’s two people or five, we don’t have any more bed space,” said Jax (Jacquie) Brand, the manager of violence against women intervention and support services for Kamloops YMCA.

The team at the shelter gives its residents plenty of activities to do and hopes to provide a comfortable living space so they can think about the next steps in their lives.

“We try to help people get connected into the community and find the support they need to really thrive here. We try to offer support when we can. We’ve seen many women grow and blossom under the safe space that we provide,” said Angelica Nunes, an anti-violence crisis worker at the shelter.

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Wraparound offerings for those staying include giving children access to counselling services and legal services for the women at the shelter.

“This transitional time, it can be confusing for kids. Just ensuring that the moms have everything they need for their children to thrive and also for a mom to thrive. Whether that is school drop-off and pickup, making sure that they have the snack, celebrations for birthdays and that sort of stuff,” said Kristen Morgan, a family support worker.

Staff and government resources keep the facility running, while donations and community support fill in any gaps.

“The other day, a woman needed a cell phone and we put it out to a couple of friends that we needed one immediately because she needed to connect with her kids. I think I put that out in the morning and by 2:00 p.m., we had three cell phones. She knew somebody in the community came to help her,” said Brand.

Donations to the Y Women’s Emergency Shelter can be made online through the YMCA website.