#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.

#12DaysOfGiving Day 8 - YWCA

The YWCA Niagara Region provides emergency homeless shelter, food, and assistance to women in poverty. They are committed to social change and work to create a community that supports women who are living in poverty and provides support through each step towards financial stability and independent living.

They impact on the community is amazing:

- 720 women and 130 children stayed in their Emergency Women's Shelter

- 88 families and 266 children stayed in their Family Shelters

- 54 men with 11 children stayed in their Men's Shelters

- 4,443 participants took part in their Skilled Development Workshops



The YWCA is a leader in the Niagara Region providing awareness through education and advocacy to raise the equality of women and the visibility of issues in our community. They are also one of the local organizations that is feeling a real stretch of resources with the increase of demand for homeless shelters and meal programs this season. In the Niagara This Week article, Elisabeth Zimmermann, Executive Director of the YWCA, had said that they are seeing cots being set up in program rooms to accommodate the overflow.

I have had the opportunity to meet and work with many of the staff at the YWCA and WOW - they are all so genuine and have such big hearts! They really care about the work that they do and you can see that in the events that they run. This year we were sponsors for their No Fixed Address event, and we even slept in our cars overnight to gain a new appreciation for all that we have. We also took part in their Women in Leadership event that brings new light to many topics surrounding women in leadership and raising each other up.

YWCA, thank you for all that you do in the community!

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/

#12DaysOfGiving

Our office has been buzzing and I am so excited to tell you about our holiday program this year!

This season is all about GIVING and why not try and give back to as many people as possible. We want everyone to share in the joy this Christmas and have an amazing holiday season, so we decided to partner with several different charities in Niagara for #12DaysOfGiving! We have been collecting items for the Kristen French Centre, Niagara Health System, YWCA, Project Share, and Community Care. Throughout the 12 days we will be posting pictures of all the goodies we have collected in the office and delivering them to the organizations. We are almost running out of space in our office under the tree - I am so proud with how much our team has stepped up to this huge task!

Make sure you are following us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram - starting on Sunday, December 13th we will be posting all about the charities and programs we have partnered with. We are so excited to tell you about the amazing work that they all do! 

"Happiness does not result from what we get, but what we give." - Ben Carson