Advocacy

The third week of October marks YWCA’s Week Without Violence™, a globally-recognized, week-long series of community events that focus on creating a violence-free world. Individuals across Canada recognize this annual initiative aimed at making gender-based violence a thing of the past.

Activities throughout the week focus on raising awareness, promoting attitude changes, and enabling individuals and organizations to begin positive actions towards ending violence in their communities.

Gender-based violence remains a global concern. We know that not all violence is acknowledged or responded to equally. Some survivors of violence go unrecognized, unheard, and unanswered. We also know that Indigenous, racialized, and newcomer women experience higher rates of violence, and are less likely to report their perpetrators.

To learn more about planning a Week Without Violence™ event in your community, visit YWCA Canada’s campaign headquarters.

Each year, YWCA Hamilton joins representatives from YWCA member associations from across Canada to meet with Federal representatives in Ottawa as part of YWCA Canada’s Day in the Hill. Together, we advocate for increased investments in women and gender-diverse people.

Our 2024 request:

• Increasing funding for the Women and Children Shelter and Transitional Housing Initiative, which provides funding for unique evidence-based housing approaches and supports for women, gender-diverse people and families rebuilding their lives after fleeing violence.

Previous requests include:

• Dedicating 25% of National Housing Strategy funds for permanent and transitional housing, shelters, and wraparound supports for women, gender-diverse people and families.
• Investing in women’s economic security to promote inclusive prosperity.

YWCA Hamilton, in partnership and solidarity with YWCA Canada and other member associations, have successfully advocated for funding at Day on the Hill, as well as creating meaningful and collaborative relationships with Members of Parliament and Senators.

YWCA Ontario Coalition

The YWCA Ontario Coalition is an advocacy group formed by YWCA member associations across the province, including YWCA Toronto, YWCA Cambridge, YWCA Kitchener-Waterloo, YWCA Muskoka, YWCA Sudbury, YWCA Niagara, YWCA Peterborough, and YWCA St. Thomas/Elgin. Together, we engage in systemic advocacy to advance gender equity in our province. Combined, we serve more than 50,000 people every year across Ontario.

Hamilton is Home

Hamilton is Home is an alliance of community housing providers sharing their knowledge and experience and advocating for new funding to maximize public benefit and address the growing need for affordable housing.

The collective was launched by the seven active affordable housing developers in Hamilton:  YWCA Hamilton, Indwell Community Homes, Sacajawea Non-Profit Housing, Good Shepherd Non-Profit Homes, Victoria Park Community Homes, East Hamilton Non-Profit Homes, and CityHousing Hamilton. These organizations began to formally meet in early 2020 around the idea of pitching a group of projects to the Federal government for funding from the Co-Investment Fund, the flagship program of CMHC’s National Housing Strategy.

Under the banner Hamilton is Home, the collective of affordable housing developers has articulated the goal of building 3,000 new affordable units in the next three years and has advocated for funding to make this a reality.

Safer Drug Use Sites Save Lives: Repeal the closures and recommit to harm reduction.

The YWCA Ontario Coalition is deeply concerned by the provincial government’s decision to close Consumption and Treatment Service(CTS) Sites service sites and its refusal to permit new programs to open.

Supervised consumption and treatment services/sites play a critical role in our communities, providing essential support and resources for those using substances. These sites are facilities where trained professionals provide support, healthcare, counselling and deep compassion.  

For the many women, especially those who may be vulnerable to violence or exploitation, CTS sites are the only indoor spaces where they can experience community, safety, and respite without fear of judgment. Without CTS sites, they will be pushed further into isolation and face increased risk of violence, exploitation and harm. 

The ability to choose when, where and how to access treatment options remains the best way to ensure successful outcomes and life beyond drug use. More people can be encouraged to choose treatment through time, trust, and increased options – all available through CTS sites across Ontario.

The supportive housing dollars dedicated through HART hubs are a welcome assistance for those transitioning from encampments and shelters and looking to rebuild their lives after both addiction and/or homelessness. These additional addiction services are essential, but cannot replace supervised consumption sites. CTS sites play a vital role in addiction management and treatment strategies and any viable supportive housing model must include widely accepted models of harm reduction.
 
As advocates for women, families and children, we want to be clear – the safety of children is not at odds with harm reduction spaces. A CTS site offering supervised and supported use near children’s spaces is much safer than any unregulated or unsupervised use in public spaces. Without safe, sanitary facilities for use and disposal, more drug use will occur in public spaces, increasing not just the visibility of drug use but also danger through potential exposure to community members, including children.  

 We know that the government shares our goal to create safer communities, a reduction in toxic drugs, better treatment options and the preservation of human life.  Safe and supervised consumption options are one intervention along a continuum of necessary services that work in tandem to address this dire public health priority.  

With the legislature’s fall session beginning this week, we urge the government to work in good faith through meaningful dialogue with experts and the communities that will be most affected by these closures, including those who operate these sites.

We ask the government to consider the following: 

1. Keep all Consumption and Treatment service sites open.  
2. Reevaluate the need to move these sites outside of a 200m radius of childcare facilities and schools.  
3. Ensure that HART Hub programs follow expert recommendations in harm reduction. 
4. Create a sustainable supportive housing operations fund with provisions for addictions and mental health and gender-based violence support services.  
5. Denounce involuntary treatment as a regressive policy.