#12DaysOfGiving with Rinaldi Homes - YWCA

YWCA

It is easy around Christmas time to get swept up in the hustle and bustle - stressed out about what you have to buy for which family member, when to beat the mall rush - sometimes you need to just stop and reflect. We take for granted our families, the roof over our heads, the warm food at every meal, the clean pair of socks and underwear we have every morning. The 12 Days of Giving program allows us to connect with different charities throughout the holiday season and find out what is really going on in our community. It has also allowed us all to gain a much deeper appreciation for all that we have!


We were happy to once again include the YWCA as part of the 12 Days of Giving. The YWCA has been a staple in our community for over 89 years, providing essential programs and services to women and their families. The YWCA has done some amazing work this year, take a look at the stats:

• 757 women and 122 children stayed in our Emergency Women’s Shelter - 1,036 women had to be turned away 

• 78 individuals representing 14 families with 34 children stayed in our Emergency Family Shelters – 77 families are currently on the waiting list

• 49 men with 15 children stayed in our Emergency Men’s and Family Shelter

• Skills Development services were accessed by 3,635 individuals

• Women’s Addiction Recovery Mediation (WARM) program was accessed by 54 women

• Sex Trade On My Terms was accessed 753 times

• 24 women stayed in our On Site Transitional Housing units

• 46 women stayed in our Supported Transitional Housing units

• 94 women, 5 men, and 63 children stayed in our Off Site Transitional Housing units

• We served 94,691 meals

“With rising housing costs and increasing costs to rent as well as limited availability of safe, affordable housing options, we have seen longer stays in shelter and have been running at overcapacity for more than a year at almost 125% capacity." - Elisabeth Zimmerman, Executive Director at the YWCA

It is now more important than ever to give back, operating that high over capacity for such an extended period of time can put a lot of stress on organizations like the YWCA. This year we collected gifts and necessities to be given out to the women and families - everyone deserves something special for Christmas!

The tree is starting to get full of donations at our office!

Elisabeth continued to reiterate the consequences of the fact that our community is still struggling with not having enough safe, affordable housing, "We have also seen increasing waitlists for all of our programs meaning we have had to turn away many more women, men, and families than ever before. We have been using all of our possible resources including cots and couches, as we work hard to ensure women, children, and men have somewhere safe to rest their heads.”

Thank you YWCA for all that you do in our community, we look forward to our continued partnership!

Our first load of gifts for the YWCA!

Hand knit gloves and scarves for the children at the YWCA.

Day FOUR: Hope for Homeless Women and their Families since 1927

Established in 1927, in an effort to respond to identified needs in the community. The YWCA Niagara Region has a long standing history of providing safe, supportive housing and programs directed to the development of homeless and impoverished women and their children.

As the largest provider of Emergency Shelter in the Niagara Region and a recognized expert among funders and community agencies, the YWCA offers innovative housing programs and services that provide hope for women and their families living in poverty. The YWCA provides shelter and programs, including:

• Two 20 bed emergency homeless shelters across the region
• 6 apartments throughout Niagara, which serve as emergency shelter for families
• 3 phases of transitional housing across Niagara
• Skill development programming, including at-school programming for youth
• A new modified men's shelter
• A new family shelter that will be built in 2016

Curious how many individuals in Niagara the YWCA has helped?

The YWCA helped 1254 women, 444 children, and 71 families last year. In 2014/2015, 1254 women, 444 children, and 71 families stayed in YW Emergency Shelter last year. They served over 59,835 meals and 4,414 women took part in their skill development programs. 

The YWCA is committed to social change and work to create a community that supports women who are living in poverty and provide support through each step towards financial stability and independent living.

What a humbling experience - bringing over 330 items to be added to the many donations they have already received for the Christmas program this year. All being sorted by volunteers to be packaged and given to over 300 women, men and children! Some of these individuals may have never received a gift before, so having something to open on Christmas is such a special experience (and something many of us take for granted). It's amazing to see the impact such a small gesture can have! 

A Year to Transform Margaret - A Success Story

How much time do you think it would take to get your life in order when it’s brought you to a place you never imagined you’d be? This varies from person to person depending on their commitment to change and Margaret exhibited unmatched drive from the very beginning.

Leaving behind her old life meant starting fresh. Without the trust of her family, Margaret bravely set out to navigate her own journey on the road toward independence. Coming to the YWCA Women’s Shelter was no easy task, but moving on meant leaving a home that held too many memories of a lifestyle best left behind. Margaret faced her fear of strangers as she joined the other guests at the Shelter, unsure if she could even trust the Women’s Advocates.

Margaret proved to be the definition of not only a success story, but a woman of inspiration. She is who I think of when I consider how I would react if ever faced with hardships that challenged my every concept of existence.

Read more about Margaret's story here!

Do you want to learn more about the YWCA and their programs?

• The YW offers transitional housing to help women and families to overcome poverty: http://www.ywcaniagararegion.ca/our-work/transitional-housing/ 
• The YW now also runs a program for men who struggle with homelessness: http://www.stcatharinesstandard.ca/2015/12/15/lafleche-sheltering-men-at-the-ywca
• Interested in volunteering? The YW is always looking for helping hands: http://www.ywcaniagararegion.ca/ways-help/volunteer-2/

Day THREE: Project SHARE = Support. Housing. Awareness. Resources. Emergency.

Project SHARE started back in 1989 and was formerly known as C.O.E.S. (Community Outreach Emergency Services). The offices were located within a small building on Victoria Avenue.

In 1992, the agency became incorporated and changed its name to Project SHARE, with the acronym meaning Support, Housing, Awareness, Resources and Emergency. The name change was accompanied with a move of their offices to 1st Avenue. By 2002, the organization found a need for a bigger building due to the increase in demand of its services. Project SHARE then relocated to Stanley Avenue, where they currently are situated.

Project SHARE serves individuals living in poverty in the Niagara Falls community by:

• Addressing the short-term need for food and creating long-term solutions for food security
• Mobilizing resources in the community
• Adapting services to respond to changes around us

Project SHARE has numerous programs to help the community:

An average of 100 families go to Project SHARE every day for emergency food. 30% of those are children. The most requested items in their food room is fresh fruits and vegetables.

Individuals were helped with emergency food 39,671 times during the last fiscal year! Over 800,000 lbs of food is distributed each year. The food bank usage has doubled since the 2008 recession.

The Christmas Program provides a holiday meal and gifts for children ages 16 and under. An average of 4500 Niagara Falls residents are helped each year through this program. The items that are most needed are peanut butter, canned fruit, canned fish and gifts for teenagers.

Project SHARE is more than just a food bank and runs several support programs including Homelessness Prevention Program, Clothing Referrals, Funding for Emergency Utility Assistance, Funding for Emergency Prescriptions, Recreation Funding Programs and more! There are also educational programs including 2 community garden sites, cooking and canning workshops, as well as healthy recipes to help increase food security.

This year, we partnered with Project SHARE to sponsor a family of five. It was so exciting to buy for the children, and give a little something special for the parents who might not be able to treat themselves very often! We had Santa Don help deliver the presents, with his decked out work truck - if you look close you can see the Christmas lights lining his truck.

Project SHARE helps residents of Niagara Falls who are living below the poverty line as defined by Statistics Canada. Each client must show proof of residency, income and dependants every time they come to Project SHARE. For more information on programs and services, please visit www.projectshare.ca or call 905-357-5121.