Commentary, Opinion

Monthly Message: Providing a safe haven for women and children in need

October 23, 2025   ·   0 Comments

At My Sister’s Place, the staff are trained to offer caring support to women and children who have experienced intimate partner violence.

The women’s program staff work in the shelter, providing daily support to the women and children who are residents there. They also answer the crisis line. These staff members offer guidance, support, resources, referrals and information 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and 365 days a year.

There are two transition and housing workers who offer support and assistance to women residing in the shelter, Second Stage Housing and the community. This includes follow-up support for women who have accessed the shelter previously. They have an established network of community supports and offer assistance by focusing primarily on finding and maintaining housing, within the communities we serve.  

They also participate in community committees and work collaboratively with agencies and services that support women and families, and they attend and participate in community awareness events.

The goal of this role is to provide women accessing services with an understanding of empowerment while encouraging them to make informed decisions about their lives.

Services that My Sister’s Place provides, and the transition and housing staff members facilitate, include but aren’t limited to:

• Safety planning
• Women are advised on what to pack in a go bag, how to erase their computer search history if they have been looking for help or answers to questions, how to leave safely and much more.
• Transitional planning/support to carry out a transitional plan
• Advice on how to make the move from their current situation to living in shelter and then later to living on their own, how to maintain this so they are set up for the greatest success. Planning for their independence and what roles and responsibilities come with that.
• Referral to long-term counselling and support programs, so that women can continue to heal, gain independence and feel empowered over their own lives.
• Providing information and resources to assist in finding and maintaining housing, and follow-up support, setting women up to move forward and start a new life with the tools they need.
• Both written and verbal advocacy is provided on behalf of women with housing providers, school authorities, legal services, Family Connexions (Children’s Aid Society), Ontario Works and any other agency or service that women may require.

Also, in the shelter we have a Children’s Program staff member who’s job it is to act as a counsellor and an advocate. They are responsible for creating a child-positive environment for the delivery of services to child residents. They communicate with mothers with the intent to empower and encourage them to make informed decisions regarding their children and their family situation.

Services that the Children’s Program staff member facilitates include but aren’t limited to:

• Provide crisis intervention, individual and group counselling for children residing in shelter.
• Provide parent relief, when possible (and needed), to support a mother.
• Be accessible to mothers and children for practical assistance, referrals, educational information and resources about abuse, the effects on children witnessing abuse, non-violent discipline techniques, and any other assistance that they might require.
• When possible, plan and organize children’s activities and outings in the community with the support and attendance of mothers at all times.
• Provide advocacy on behalf of residents, with the Children’s Aid Society and any other agencies or services that residents may require.
• Ensure that child resident files and other shelter service documentation is completed as required.
• Ensure that children’s toys and play area are cleaned and sanitized on a bi-weekly basis.
• Assist with securing transportation for residents to appointments and meetings regarding their children, as needed.
• Process child-specific donations.

Another staff member integral to the My Sister’s Place team is our legal and outreach advocate. The outreach and legal advocate provides supportive interventions and outreach assistance to abused women and their children who reside within My Sister’s Place and in the community. 

Services that the Legal and Outreach Advocate staff member facilitates include but aren’t limited to:

• Provide a full range of services to women who are residing in My Sister’s Place, Second and Third Stage/transitional housing, social housing and other accommodations.
• Services are to include, but not be limited to: safety planning, legal information sharing, court support, crisis counselling, written and verbal advocacy on behalf of women with resources in the community, school authorities, the Children’s Aid Society, Ontario Works and any other agency or service that women may require.
• Organize and facilitate groups for abused women within our catchment area.
• Provide community education on violence against women and other related topics.
• Work cooperatively with other agencies, individuals and organizations to promote the awareness and sensitivity to the issue of violence against women.
• Participate in various community committees and/or coalitions.
• Complete client files, statistical reports and other shelter service documentation as required.
• Provide transportation support for residents to appointments and meetings, etc., when appropriate.

Our staff members in all of these various positions work closely together and in unison with one goal, to provide the best possible, services, care, programs and facilities for the women and children that come through our doors or reach out to our crisis line.

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