News

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

Community that shows up for one another. What more could we ask for? 💛

Our relationship with the Junior League of Toronto started back in the spring, when we were lucky enough to be picked as one of their grant recipients.

Months later, Natalie from the JLT reached out to see if there were other ways we could work together. This is exactly the kind of community partnership we love: one that keeps growing, one connection at a time.

They chose Street Haven as one of their charities for Find the Good Day, an initiative created by the JLT to recognize how small acts of kindness can transform communities. They generously made up 24 Welcome Home baskets for our clients, filled with everyday essentials like cleaning and cooking supplies, all packed inside a laundry hamper they get to keep.

These small essentials make a big difference. For clients stepping into a new chapter of independence and stability, having the basics already covered means one less thing to worry about and one more reason to feel supported as they start fresh.

This partnership has already shown us how generous and kind the people in our circle truly are. We can't wait to see where it grows from here. Thank you, JLT!

#JuniorLeagueofToronto #Community #WomenSupportingWomen #StreetHaven #FindTheGoodDay