About the Nonprofit
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Since 1977, Women’s Centre of York Region has offered a safe place where women can get the support to build self-esteem, the tools to develop a plan of action, and the opportunity to build the skills they need to help themselves and their families. We assist women from all backgrounds and cultures in York Region in building confidence and skills, helping them transition from hopelessness to possibility. Women’s Centre of York Region’s vision is for all women thriving personally, socially, and economically. Our mission is to bring hope, support and learning to women on their journey of self-discovery and empowerment in order for them to thrive personally, socially and economically.
WCYR takes a preventative, multi-dimensional approach to assisting women to move away from poverty and domestic violence toward a sustainable livelihood. We operate with a feminist, anti-oppressive, anti-racist framework; a holistic approach to interventions and ensure client-centred care are taken at each step of the women’s journey. Our programs are not a band-aid solution; we provide evidence-based skill-building programs using the Canadian Women's Foundation's Sustainable Livelihood Framework as our theory of change.
Our Programs:
Transitional and Housing Support Counselling provides women with both emotional and practical support to ensure they (and their children) leave an abusive relationship safely. We assist women exposed to physical, emotional, verbal, psychological, spiritual and/or financial abuse (from partners, significant others and could include caregivers or other immediate family/household members).
Individual Counselling provides emotional support to women experiencing difficulty with self-esteem, anger, depression, discrimination, cultural and settlement adjustment, disability, separation/divorce, body image, isolation, relationship issues, and stress related to poverty or un/employment.
Enterprising Careers is a career exploration program that assists women with their search for meaningful and sustainable employment. Topics include choosing a new career path, re-entering the workforce through paid or unpaid employment, training and self-employment. The program builds self-confidence as women use a variety of tools and resources to identify their interests, skills and values.
Financial Empowerment is a six-week women's group that teaches financial literacy. Topics during the six weeks include budgeting, lowering and managing expenses, credit scores and reports, debt management, saving and investing, fraud protection and creating a financial plan. Participants complete the course with a financial goal and an action plan to reach their goals. Additionally, a completion certificate and grocery assistance in the form of grocery gift cards is provided upon completion to kick-start their budget.
“I am now budgeting and have plans to begin saving, and before this course I felt overwhelmed about managing finances - this course was life changing, and I will take it again in the future.” – 2020 Financial Empowerment Client
Making Changes is a group life skills program that enables women to develop basic skills necessary to move forward and become clearer and stronger decision makers on life circumstances that negatively impact their lives. Through this active learning program women discover more about themselves and their abilities, develop confidence and use their strengths and skills in becoming the person they would like to be. Participants learn about accepting responsibility for choices they make in managing their lives. The program has 3 modules and each modules runs for 10 weeks at a time.
