In the city of Brampton, there is a shelter for men experiencing homelessness as well as a dedicated shelter for youth.

But there are no single female-only shelter spaces in Peel — which includes Brampton, Mississauga and Caledon — for women who are not fleeing violence, according to the Region of Peel.

The gap leaves women like Maria Ledo, Kerrie Schutt and Kimberly Joy Bailey with limited options. One of them is to take a one-and-a-half hour bus ride to Mississauga's co-ed shelter.

They say as women living on the street, they feel especially vulnerable.

"A lot of times we dress like men to keep ourselves safe," Bailey said, adding that women aren't as visible on the streets because they're often covering their tracks.

But between July 2018 and June 2019, women made up 30 per cent of the people using Peel-run shelters, according to the region. Approximately 4,000 people experienced homelessness in Peel in 2018.

Schutt says it's been tough to get back on her feet because she spends sleepless nights trying to protect herself. She says a women's shelter would help people like her integrate back into the community.

"They need to have a place to sleep, where they're safe, where they can get their head back together, get back to work and get their own place again," she said.

Jenna Dewsbury, director of operations at Regeneration Outreach Community in Brampton, says the number of people using the drop-in centre has increased every year for the last four years. (Talia Ricci/CBC)

All of the women say at some point they've been robbed and assaulted, and believe they would feel safer in a shelter dedicated to women.

Jenna Dewsbury, director of operations at Regeneration Outreach Community, says the result of the gap in services is more women in crisis coming to their drop-in centre.

"They are victims of so many crimes," she said.

The centre provides necessities like food, showers, clothing and laundry services, but also helps build community relationships. This includes listening to clients' stories, and Dewsbury says women are often in some of the most dangerous situations.

"There are many times when women come in and it's shocking the things they say and where they had to go the night before and the situations they've gotten themselves in."

Dewsbury says there is more access to services for women with children, "but for a single woman or someone who's not considered out of a domestic abuse situation, the lack of services tells them they aren't important enough to be cared about."

'It shouldn't have happened'

Martin Medeiros, a Brampton city councillor and the chair of human services for the Region of Peel, says as the city experiences a time of rapid growth, these services are urgently needed.

"It's a huge priority. And a lot of my colleagues at the City of Brampton have identified that as a huge gap and a huge need," he said, calling the situation "dire."

"It shouldn't have happened and certainly we dropped the ball and now we're trying to address it in a meaningful manner."

Brampton city councillor Martin Medeiros says the city hopes to open a women's shelter this year. (Talia Ricci/CBC )

The City of Brampton says its preparing a regional council report this spring that proposes additional shelter beds for women in Brampton.

"Peel operates its shelters with a no-turn-away policy. If we don't have beds available in our shelters, we will enact our overflow protocol and make use of local hotels and motels," the city's statement says.

For women like Bailey who are on the street, a dedicated shelter for women in Brampton can't come soon enough.

"I feel I'm lost out here, and that sometimes I'm brushed under the carpet," she said.

"It makes me want to scream and say, 'Look at me, I'm worth it.'"