Commentary, Opinion

Monthly Message: My Sister’s Place’sgrassroots fight against domestic violence in South Simcoe

September 25, 2025   ·   0 Comments

My Sister’s Place has been serving South Simcoe County since 1987, but it was a long road and a lot of hard work to get the shelter into existence. Here is a little bit about our history, or as we like to call it, “her story.”

The very beginnings of the idea of a women’s domestic violence shelter, which would one day become My Sister’s Place, started when a small group of concerned community members came together in 1977 to discuss issues that they felt were of growing concern in Alliston and the surrounding areas. 

One of the key issues they identified was how to address the needs of women showing up at local churches, the hospital, and other agencies suffering from physical and emotional abuse. From these meetings, a steering group was created. This group worked to gather statistical information from Statistics Canada, the provincial government, local police detachments, and health agencies. 

All of the information gathered proved that abuse was widespread in the area and appeared to be growing worse. At this point, the steering group approached municipal governments for support to open a women’s shelter. They were seeking financial support, which was critical to move forward with the planning of the shelter, but also needed approval, and had to deal with the hurdle that this widespread problem was acknowledged.

The Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services (MCSS) who’s mandate is “helping to improve outcomes for children, youth, families and individuals who need support, and advancing the interests of women across Ontario,” was very supportive of opening a women’s shelter during this time. With their help, the first iteration of My Sister’s Place and Contact Community Services was established, called The Contact Information Agency. 

This agency was community-based, run by a volunteer board and an executive director. It initially provided women a “listening ear,” contact numbers, and referrals to other agencies in the community that could assist them, but we still did not have a safe place for women to go, where they could stay. 

The community members involved kept pushing ahead, advocating for the importance of a shelter and working to gather support in the areas that were needed to make the shelter happen. Finally, 10 years after the group first got together, the agency called “People In Transition Alliston (Inc)” was incorporated, and a house was bought on Albert Street in Alliston. In May of 1987, My Sister’s Place opened its doors.

Since then, we have evolved significantly in order to meet the demands of the communities we serve. More programs and services, along with professional staff, were added to meet the needs of the women and their children, as well as the expansion of our services to all of South Simcoe County.

In 2011, our Second Stage housing units were built, providing another level of short-term affordable housing for the women we serve, and in 2014, we were able to purchase the house on the property next to the shelter and renovate it into our Third Stage housing units, thus providing two more affordable housing options.

Our organization continues to grow with outreach programs, legacy advocacy and support, as well as transitional and affordable housing support. We will continue to work hard, always providing the best services, programming, and safe housing for the women and children of South Simcoe County.

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