Originally, Florence Booth House (FBH) opened as a temporary women’s shelter, but over the past 25 years, the need for these specific emergency supports to be in place permanently in the West Queen West neighbourhood has been evident. While the 100-year-old building has been fulfilling a great need, the aging infrastructure, combined with a worldwide pandemic, meant that the building no longer allowed us to provide the care, dignity, compassion, and accessibility that we aim to offer the women we serve.
That’s why we’ve launched the Florence Booth House Redevelopment Project—to build a new, purpose-designed facility on our existing site. This campaign is not just about bricks and mortar. It’s about hope, healing, and belonging. It’s about creating a space where women can land softly, regain their footing, and take steps toward a brighter future.
Our new building will more than double in size, offering 63 shelter beds and greatly improved privacy with smaller, shared rooms in a fully accessible facility. It will also include dedicated space for health care, case management, housing supports, and community activities, allowing us to deliver wraparound services in a setting that reflects the dignity and strength of the women we serve.
After much preparation, we are excited to announce that the demolition phase has begun. Internal demolition is underway and will continue through the summer, with external demolition scheduled to begin in the fall.
The new building is a way we continue striving to be “the hand of God in the heart of the city.”
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