News

Heart and soul. That’s Street Haven. 💛

Our leaders look after our staff, and for many of us, this team is family. Thank you to our Social Committee for hosting an incredible Townhall, and to our DEI Committee for facilitating such thoughtful activities that gave us space to reflect together.

A special congratulations to all the staff who reached years-of-service milestones, and to our Staff and Volunteer Award winners!

Here’s to all we’ve accomplished together and the work still ahead!

#StreetHaven #TeamWork #StaffAppreciation #StrongerTogether

It’s election day in Toronto! And since it’s Women’s History Month, we want to take a minute to remember the women who fought for the right to vote. 🗳️

When Canada was formed in 1867, only men could vote in federal elections. Women started organizing in the 1870s, right here in Toronto and across the country, with activists like Nellie McClung leading the way. It took decades of petitions, lobbying and public lectures, but Manitoba women won the provincial vote in 1916. Ontario followed on April 12, 1917, and by 1918 most women could vote federally.

Most, but not all. Indigenous women, among others, were shut out for decades. Indigenous women couldn’t vote federally until 1960, and it wasn’t until 1969 that every Canadian of age could vote regardless of gender or race.

Closer to home, Constance Hamilton became the first woman on Toronto City Council in 1920, and the first woman in Ontario to hold elected office. Then in 1921, Agnes Macphail became the first woman elected to the House of Commons.

Municipal elections matter more than a lot of people think. City hall decides things you deal with every day, like how often your bus comes, what happens with your local parks, libraries and community centres, and how the city responds to housing and homelessness.

At Street Haven, we know how much voting matters. Last week, the Moss Park Coalition visited our shelter to let our clients know they can vote even without a permanent address. They went over how voting works, what ID to bring and why it matters.

Everyone deserves a say in the decisions that shape their community. So please get out and vote! Polls are open from 10:00 am to 8:00 pm.

#WomensHistoryMonth #ElectionDay #Toronto #VoteTO #WomensSuffrage #StreetHaven

From Home Aides to Personal Support Workers, how has the landscape of women in healthcare changed?

Women have long played an important role in caregiving yet often lacked access to formal training. With training programs now formalized, women have clearer career pathways.

To continue our founder, Peggy Ann’s legacy of building a strong foundation for women in healthcare, we introduced Women in Healthcare Pathways, a free program for women interested in becoming Personal Support Workers (PSWs) or Home Support Workers (HSWs). Women deserve the opportunity to start a meaningful career at any stage of life.

Meet PSW participant Carmel Dominique, who shares what it means to begin this chapter in her 40s:

“I am very happy to share my experience of attending the Women’s Healthcare Pathways program at IBT College. As a 41-year-old, going back to school was always in the back of my mind, but so was the fear. The fear that I am too old, and would I do good because it’s been soon long? However, thanks to Street Haven at the Crossroads preparing me and other students, I walked in feeling nervous but confident to start my Personal Support Worker (PSW) course. The staff at IBT College is very helpful, the program course is also very manageable. I never thought I would see myself in the medical field, but now I have a real excitement for it. The instructors are knowledgeable and informative, with a desire for students to exceed. I am grateful to Street Haven at the Crossroads for having this program for women and to the entire team for helping me along the way.”

This Women’s History Month, we remember the women who paved the way, the ones who continue to make the path forward easier for others, and celebrate the ones who have taken the first step towards building a secure future for themselves and the communities they live in.

Interested in a career as a PSW or HSW? Reach out here: https://streethaven.org/services/job-seeker/

#PSW #StreetHaven #WomensHealthcarePathways #EmploymentandTraining #HSW

We’re feeling so grateful after Thanksgiving. 🍂

Our community has truly warmed our hearts this season! A huge thank you to the members of the Verity Club for organizing a Thanksgiving food drive for Street Haven clients, and to our friends at Soup Sisters for the soup that’s been bringing our clients a little warmth and comfort. Over the weekend, clients across our programs came together to celebrate with a delicious Thanksgiving meal.

Behind every meal is a community that shows up. With food costs rising, keeping our shelter, supportive housing, and live-in addiction treatment programs stocked takes all of us, and every little bit helps. A can of beans, a box of pasta, or a bowl of soup becomes a warm meal and a moment of comfort for a woman who needs it.

To everyone who gave: thank you for making sure our tables were full this Thanksgiving. 🧡

Are you interested in organizing a food drive for Street Haven this holiday season? Reach out to us at info@streethaven.com.

And don’t miss Soup Sisters’ new guest blog featuring our Executive Director, Andrea Paszti, on why a warm meal means so much to the women we serve. Read it here: https://www.soupsisters.org/post/a-bowl-of-soup-a-place-of-care-supporting-women-where-they-are

#Grateful #Thanksgiving #StreetHaven #Verity #SoupSisters #GivingBack

For Women’s History Month, we want to tell you about Judith Ann “Nickie” Grant. 💜

Judith was a client of Street Haven and a close friend of our founder, Peggy Ann Walpole. She dreamed of a place where women could heal in a safe, home-like setting. Sadly, Judith died as a result of her addiction before that dream could come true.

But her dream didn’t disappear. On September 9, 1976, Grant House opened in Beaverton, Ontario, named in her memory. It was Canada’s first women-specific live-in addiction program.

In 1987, Grant House moved to Toronto, and today it’s a 90-day, abstinence-based program. Women receive individual and group counselling, work with an on-site psychotherapist, and have up to one year of post-treatment support.

Nearly 50 years on, women continue to heal at Grant House, a home that still carries Judith’s name and her spirit.

Learn more about Grant House: streethaven.org/services/residential-addictions-services/

#WomensHistoryMonth #StreetHaven #GrantHouse #WomenSupportingWomen #Recovery