Commentary, Opinion

My Sister’s Place reflects on decades of support for women and children

July 23, 2026   ·   0 Comments

My Sister’s Place’s history, or as we like to call it, “her story,” began long before the shelter itself opened.  

We have served the county of South Simcoe since 1987, including the communities of New Tecumseth, Essa, Innisfil, Bradford and Adjala-Tosorontio, but it wasn’t always that way.

The beginnings of what would someday be My Sister’s Place began when a small group of concerned community members came together in 1977 to discuss several issues they felt were growing concerns in Alliston.

One of the key issues that they had identified was how to address the needs of women who were showing up at local churches, at the hospital and at other agencies in town suffering from physical, mental and emotional abuse.

From these first meetings, a steering group was created, and they worked hard to gather statistical information from Statistics Canada, the provincial government, local police detachments and health agencies in the area.  

All of this information gathered proved that abuse was widespread in the area and appeared to be growing worse. At this point, the steering group approached the municipal governments for support to open a women’s shelter in the community.

While they were seeking financial support, which was critical to moving forward with their plan to build a shelter, it was also important that this widespread problem be acknowledged by community officials and that their support be given.

The Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services were very supportive of opening a women’s shelter during this time, but that wouldn’t happen quite yet. With their help, a different kind of agency was first established, called The Contact Information Agency.

This agency initially provided women with a “listening ear,” gave them contact numbers, and referred them to other agencies already operating in the area.

Now known as Contact Community Services, the organization continues to operate and help people in our community in different ways.

The steering group of community members involved kept pushing ahead, and, through hard work and perseverance, 10 years after the group first got together, the agency called “People In Transition Inc.” was incorporated, and a house was bought on Albert Street in Alliston.

In May of 1987, People in Transition, better known as My Sister’s Place, opened the door of the shelter.

Since then, we have evolved significantly in order to meet the demands of the communities we serve. Our organization has caring professional employees trained in women’s and children’s services, and both our shelter and crisis line are open 24 hours a day, seven days a week and 365 days a year.

We have added more shelter and outreach services to meet the needs of women and their children, as well as expanded our services to all of South Simcoe County.

Over the years, we have expanded our residential services by adding our second and third-stage housing. Even today, the organization continues to grow with more outreach programs, legacy advocacy and support, and transitional affordable housing support.

We will keep moving forward to better serve our communities, to meet the needs of the women who come through our doors, and to provide the best care and facilities possible.

This week’s Community Voice submission was provided by My Sister’s Place, which serves women and children facing violence and abuse.

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