Governments of Canada and Ontario Announce Funding for Women's Shelter in the City of Toronto

TORONTO, ONTARIO--(Marketwired - April 19, 2017) - The governments of Canada and Ontario announced funding for the North York Women's Shelter, a women's shelter serving the Toronto community since 1984. This funding will allow the agency to construct a new shelter that will include 30 beds to provide continued support and improved services to women and children who are survivors of domestic violence.

Michael Levitt, Member of Parliament for York Centre, on behalf of the Honourable Jean-Yves Duclos, Minister of Families, Children and Social Development and Minister Responsible for Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC), along with the Honorable Dr. Helena Jaczek, Ontario's Minister of Community and Social Services, made the announcement.

Quick facts:

• The governments of Canada and Ontario contributed $8.8 million to the North York Women's Shelter for this redevelopment.
• North York Women's Shelter has served an average of 127 women and children each year for the past three years.
• The shelter's services include individualized counselling, group counselling, employment skills training, life coaching and programming for children.
• The new facility will be built on "designed for health" principles, with a flexible and responsible state-of-the-art innovative green facility.

Quotes:

"The peace of mind that comes with having a secure and stable home is invaluable. Thanks to the combined efforts of our partners, we are able to give a helping hand to women in need, and in doing so, we are contributing to their economic and social well-being." - Michael Levitt, Member of Parliament for York Centre

"For women who have experienced violence, a shelter is often the first step to rebuilding their lives. This investment in North York Women's Shelter is another example that illustrates the Ontario government's commitment to investing in services that help women and their children that have experienced domestic violence." - Hon. Dr. Helena Jaczek, Ontario Minister of Community and Social Services

"On this important day, we deeply thank the Federal and Provincial governments, our local community of support and the hardworking staff of North York Women's Shelter. In the last 33 years, NYWS has provided a place of safety and support for over 11,000 women and children. As our understanding of violence against women continues to evolve, we recognize that our response as both an organization and a society must become more complex, evidence-based and holistic. This significant investment means that this critical dream can be reality." - Mohini Datta-Ray, Executive Director, North York Women's Shelter

Associated links:

- Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) has been helping Canadians meet their housing needs for more than 70 years. As Canada's authority on housing, CMHC contributes to the stability of the housing market and financial system, provides support for Canadians in housing need, and offers unbiased housing research and advice to Canadian governments, consumers and the housing industry. Prudent risk management, strong corporate governance and transparency are cornerstones of CMHC's operations. For more information, please call 1-800-668-2642 or visit www.cmhc.ca.

- Investing in a bigger and better North York Women's Shelter is a part of the Ontario government's vision to ensure that everyone in the province can live in safety, free from the threat, fear or experience of exploitation and violence, and supports its goal of ending violence against women and, and also supports the government's It's Never Okay: An Action Plan to Stop Sexual Violence and Harassment.

Stay connected:

- Follow CMHC on Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn and Facebook.

- Follow Ontario's Ministry of Community and Social Services on Twitter.