To mark Black History Month, we are taking a look back at Black women who are amongst those honoured with YWCA Toronto’s Women of Distinction Award. This annual award is bestowed upon women who have demonstrated an iron-clad commitment to improving the lives of other girls, women and marginalized groups. It has been going strong […]

YWCA Toronto condemns Islamophobia, xenophobia and racism. We offer our support and solidarity to the Muslim community, in Toronto and across Canada, during this challenging time. Never has there been such an important moment for us all to speak out and take action to counter Islamophobia and racism. We must also call on our elected representatives to […]

Some of the most passionate mental health advocates work in women’s shelters. Women on the front-lines for addressing mental health needs. Women supporting other women to find safety, stability, and empowerment in their lives — in a way, sisterhood embodied. We need to hear their voices as Canada embarks on necessary (and overdue) conversations on […]

There is a lot at stake in this year’s city budget. YWCA Toronto supports new revenue tools to stop unacceptable service cuts, and we urge Council to make a substantial investment in Toronto’s poverty reduction strategy. This is critically important for women in our city, who have disproportionately higher poverty rates. The women we work […]

We all need a place to call home. At the very least, we need a place to feel safe, rest and recharge, raise families, grow old.  What we may call home could be made of brick, stone, mud, cardboard, tinfoil or a windblown UN tent in a refugee journey somewhere.  Lives and experiences could not […]

Elisheva Passarello is a social justice advocate, photographer, designer, and entrepreneur in Toronto, Ontario. On October 12, 2012, I was evicted from my apartment and for the very first time in my life I became homeless. That night, there were no beds available anywhere in Toronto so I was forced to sleep on the street. At five o’clock in the morning, I found a […]

I have an unshakeable belief in the resiliency and strength of women. With twenty years under my belt working in the social services sector, this belief keeps me going. From Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside to Toronto’s core – I have worked with women of all races, ages, identities and faiths. I have worked with women coping with […]

It keeps me up at night that many women live their entire lives without a home that is safe and secure.  I think of the women and children trapped in violent situations or turned away from emergency shelters because they are full. I think of the women forced to live in shelters for years at […]

I am thankful to Mandi Gray. It takes immense bravery to report sexual assault and endure an 18-month trial. Especially when confronting a system that regularly fails women. For this reason, I cheered inside when I saw the front page of a Toronto newspaper’s story about the verdict. It read: “It does not matter if […]

June 21 is National Aboriginal Day in Canada. At YWCA Toronto, we celebrate and honour Indigenous peoples and heritage – today and everyday. We are dedicated to the work of reconciliation and continue to call for justice, safety and a new relationship with Indigenous Peoples.  Honouring the Truth, Reconciling for the Future – the ground-breaking Truth and […]