Honour Driscoll, homeless since August, denied Ottawa shelter because of her five cats

Honour Driscoll has been sleeping rough in Ottawa parks and street corners since August 14 because shelters have turned her away — all because of her five cats: Ryko, Jemima, Diamond, Jubilee, and Diva.

Driscoll, 42, became homeless after a family dispute with her aunt, with whom she had lived for two years. When she left, she kept four of the five cats she'd been caring for (she gave up a sixth). Now those animals are the barrier between her and shelter.

"If (shelters) were concerned about me leaving the cats, make me sign a waiver or explain it to me instead of just saying 'no,'" Driscoll said. "How could I give them up? I would not be out here like this, if I had a shelter space."

Driscoll regularly leashes her cats at Confederation Park, which she describes as the safest spot available to her. She has also stayed at the Bank and Somerset intersection and Rideau Centre mall — both less safe than the park. On September 26, when a reporter met her at Confederation Park during Ottawa's 200th birthday celebration, at least two dozen pedestrians stopped to see her cats.

The situation has been compounded by benefit cuts. Driscoll receives an Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP) monthly cheque, but the province cut it in half and removed the "housing costs" component that had covered her rent when she lived with her aunt. "Do they think it costs less to be homeless," Driscoll asked.

The Ottawa Humane Society is planning a subsidized vet clinic in Vanier, which may provide support for people in Driscoll's situation — but shelter access itself remains closed to her.