IMPROVING LIVES THROUGH LEARNING FOR ADULTS FOR 37 YEARS
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February • 2022
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Ernestine’s Fight Against the Shadow Pandemic There’s no place like home, but for some, Ernestine’s is better. Amid a global pandemic, women and children have been facing the darker, quieter pandemic of domestic violence. Ernestine’s Women’s Shelter is a 32-bed emergency shelter that offers support to women and children escaping abuse and violence. Since opening its doors in 1983, Ernestine’s has supported over 15,000 women and children, providing shelter and life-saving outreach support to women and children across the GTA. Ernestine’s knows that home is not a safe place for everyone, and the COVID-19 pandemic hasn’t stopped the rise of what has been referred to as the “shadow pandemic of domestic violence.” During the pandemic, shelter requests from women received by the Assaulted Women’s Helpline increased by 400 percent. “We have a pandemic on top of a pandemic,” Angela MacDougall, Executive Director of Battered Women’s Support Services (BWSS), told CTV News. Between April 1st and December 31st, 2020, BWSS
saw its call volumes rise by as much as 300 percent. Canada’s Assaulted Women’s Helpline received 71,633 calls, compared to 36,362 over the same period the previous year. Many shelters and transition houses across the GTA reported purchasing new technology to offer connection and virtual support to women and children in need.
Ernestine’s also operates on-site donations, clothing, and food banks, so women and children can have access to everything they need in an environment where they feel safe. Ernestine’s believes that children’s needs are separate from those of their parents, and their voices need to be heard. The shelter provides supportive and sensitive programming for children who have witnessed or experienced violence. Child and Youth programming focuses on healthy emotional expression and creating a safe space to discuss their experiences.
“I take this opportunity to express how grateful I am to Ernestine’s for allowing and creating a safe and comfortable living space for my son and me for an entire year. Every woman who comes through the doors of Ernestine’s is certainly changed and impacted in a positive way. Thank you so much.” “Being at Ernestine’s has made a big —Former Ernestine’s client difference in my brother’s and my life. Ernestine’s has helped us to get back as Ernestine’s provides a range of a family. After seeing what my mum holistic services, including 24- had gone through, the rough times, it hour crisis-line assistance, indi- was hard for us. Ernestine’s staff make vidual and group-based counsel- us feel at home and comfortable in ling support, legal, housing, and everything we do.” immigration support and advo—Former Youth Client cacy. Ernestine’s equips women and children with the essentials To learn more about they need, from new bedding to Ernestine’s and support the clothes, school supplies, loaded cause to end violence against Presto cards, and even prescripwomen and children, tions not covered by OHIP. visit www.ernestines.ca
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When home doesn’t feel like home,
Ernestine’s is there
How to Help: ernestines.ca
Ontario Woman Donates Home to Indigenous Housing Provider to Give Back Land to Indigenous People “God put it in my head and my heart to give [the house] away. It was such a liberating thought,” said Lidia in an interview with Ontario Aboriginal Housing For individuals leaving their lifeService’s Wanda Chorney, long homes to begin a new journey Manager of Title Services. “Good in a nursing home, the decision will come from it, I’m sure.” Lidia approached her lawyer of what to do with their house is always a debate. For Lidia Tromp, about her wish, which led to the she knew exactly what she wanted discovery of Ontario Aboriginal to do: donate her land back to the Housing Services, when her Indigenous community. lawyer reached out to our organization in June of 2021. Born and raised in Holland, Lidia moved to Canada and found Through contacting our Titles Department and working together a home in Tillsonburg, Ontario that would remain hers for 55 with Lidia, her legal team, and years. It was when she moved into friend Yvonne Hill, an inspection this new house that she discovered was completed on Lidia’s home and our Executive team graciously a set of iron bookends in the cupboard of a person slumped accepted the donation. over on the back of a horse, “She has the kindest, gentlest, and most giving heart and and believed it to represent the soul of anyone I have ever suffering of Indigenous people met and likely will ever meet. from their loss of land, children, and other forms of oppression. It I was honoured to be the was then, after all of those years representative from OAHS to meet Lidia, I was incredibly of living in her home, that those moved,” Wanda mentioned bookends gave her the most regarding the interview. selfless idea. SARAH MCBAIN, COMMUNICATIONS SPECIALIST AT ONTARIO ABORIGINAL HOUSING SERVICES
LIDIA (LEFT), WANDA (RIGHT) © COURTESY OF SARAH MCBAIN
Through years of hardship and loss, Lidia remains a high-spirited and kind woman. Working several jobs at a time to pay for the mortgage on her home during her lifetime, Lidia continued to contribute to her community by making handcrafted dolls. Whether it was attending local craft shows or sending them to other countries for young children, she made over 10,000 of them throughout her life. During Lidia and Wanda’s meeting, Lidia made it clear she wanted Canadians to know that they too can do what she has done. Donating her home to the Indigenous people with the help of OAHS will ensure that an Indigenous family is housed safely and affordably to enhance their well-being and future. “I hope things work out better now for the Native nation than what has been done so far,” she said. OAHS is grateful for Lidia’s story, contribution, and we’re looking forward to housing another Indigenous family. ADVERTORIAL
A Network of Life-Changing Supports for Toronto’s Homeless Mary-Lou arrived at Homeless Connect Toronto’s Community Connect event for her foot care appointment. Due to a dispute with a family member, she was unhoused again. She desperately wanted an eye care appointment but couldn’t secure one before the event. She was patient and willing to wait just in case there were any no-shows. Luckily, there happened to be an opening, and when she was informed, she was incredibly grateful. After her eye assessment, she tearfully exclaimed that she knew something had been wrong. She was so glad to be able to see the optometrist who told her that she needed cataract surgery and would help her get the referral to make it happen. Mary-Lou is one of the many guests who access the one-stopshop events, hosted by Homeless Connect Toronto, to get the direct care and support they need. Since 2013, Homeless Connect Toronto (HCT) has coordinated these “one-stop-shop” events for individuals impacted by homelessness in Toronto. Based on the Project Homeless
Connect, which started in San Francisco in 1998 and has since been implemented by 221 communities in North America, HCT brings essential resources to those who need them most. From housing to employment, ID clinics to health care, and many more services, HCT makes it possible for people experiencing homelessness to find everything they need under one roof. Service providers deliver as many of their services as they can on-site, minimizing the need for referral or follow-up. As a volunteer and service-run event, people from various sectors participate and actively engage in the solution to overcome homelessness in Toronto. Over 25,000 connections have been formed through on-site support from service agency partners across the city throughout the last eight years, helping thousands of people access life-changing support. On top of that, nearly 1,200 unique individuals have volunteered their time with HCT. Each volunteer is provided with training before the events to educate about issues affecting homelessness, as well as sensitivity training to provide a caring and respectful
environment to individuals who have experienced adversity and trauma. Most volunteers serve as guides on event day to provide a one-on-one concierge service that enables and empowers guests who attend the event while learning about their individual stories and experiences with homelessness. “We get up-close and personal with each guest. One client, Thomas, needed assistance with filing his taxes. Only at the end of our time together did I find out that Thomas had poor literacy skills, which is why getting him that in-person support was so helpful. That day, he also had the opportunity to receive housing assistance and a backpack.” —HCT Volunteer HCT also plays a vital role in facilitating networking and collaboration among service providers. Over 85 service provider partners come together in one place on one day so that individuals can access the help they need. The synergy created from these collaborations creates a community of service providers, which extends to an ever-expanding
© COURTESY OF HOMELESS CONNECT TORONTO
network of knowledge and support. care, hearing tests, haircuts, and Throughout the pandemic, so much more. HCT was unable to continue hosting large-scale events. However, “This is the first time I’ve seen they recognized that the support so much joy in this place in a they provide couldn’t simply disap- long time.” pear. They pivoted their response, —HCT Guest instead coordinating 15 smaller pop-up events throughout 2020 Homeless Connect Toronto and 2021, in collaboration with events help individuals impacted local community agencies. by homelessness navigate the These Community Connect complicated system of supports events helped individuals impacted in Toronto. With your help, by homelessness connect directly individuals can connect the dots to over 770 on-site supports in to end homelessness in their their neighbourhood, including lives. Support these connections housing support, legal support, by donating at tax clinics, eye assessments, foot hctoronto.org/donate
SMALL CONNECTIONS, BIG CHANGE With your help, individuals can connect the dots to end homelessness in their lives. Support these connec�ons by dona�ng at HCTORONTO.ORG/DONATE �HCONNECTTO
