Impact Report 2023-24
From Awareness to Action
Waterloo Region
Together, supporting women and children moving beyond violence
Provided
26,391
days of care to women and children
from April 1, 2023 to March 31, 2024
Table of contents
Jump Ahead to These Sections:
Looking back at the year…
Message From CEO & Board Chair
Message from CEO and Board
This work also wouldn’t be possible without the Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services, our donors and community supporters.
Thank you to our community partners, this work is too challenging to do alone.
— Jennifer Hutton, CEO
Our Impact At A Glance
Prevention and education participants
crisis support phone calls and online chats
OUtreach clients supported
safe shelter clients supported
Emergency Shelter
Moving Forward Scholarship
The Moving Forward Scholarship supports former and current clients in pursuing higher education or job training. This year marked a significant milestone, with the largest sum of scholarships awarded since its inception! The program offers various avenues of support, from assisting clients with learning English to professional development. Clients who have utilized outreach or residential services are eligible to apply, with grant amounts determined based on available funding and needs.
We’ve been able to support clients in their quest for education, post-secondary, learning English, whatever their goal is, we’ve been able to help to support them through this scholarship fund.
— Leigh Savage, Residental Manager
SASC Partnership
This year, we continue to provide dedicated shelter support specifically to survivors of human trafficking. Through our partnership with the Sexual Assault Support Centre Waterloo Region (SASC) we offer two beds (one at each shelter) for clients who are 16 years and older. This partnership has been a success and benefited 10 individuals in shelter throughout the year.
Crisis Support
Thanks to a grant recieved through United Way’s Community Services Recovery Fund, we added a new residential role focused on crisis support. This role has been instrumental in offering support to clients through our support lines. This addition has been helpful in streamlining operations, enhancing efficiency and decreasing response times.
Clients in Emergency Shelter
women
Children
Moving Foward Scholarships Gifted
Addressing Critical Incidents
Addressing Critical Incidents
In May 2022, we took a significant step forward in enhancing the support system for shelter staff following crises by establishing the Critical Incident Debrief Team. This initiative, created in collaboration with six shelters across Ontario, began from a need to solidify procedures in response to critical incidents within women’s shelters.
Our Outreach Manager, Natascha Hergott, played an impactful role in this initiative and was invited to speak at a national conference in Ottawa, hosted by Women’s Shelters Canada in June 2023.
At this conference, Natascha shared insights on how to better prepare shelter staff for emergencies. After Natascha’s well-received presentation, she co-facilitated a one-hour workshop with a representative from Family Transition Place, further elaborating on practical harm reduction strategies.
This initiative not only exemplifies our commitment to best meet the needs of our environment but also highlights the collaboration within the shelter community.
Transitional Housing
Transitional Housing
Our transitional housing has flourished this year, providing stability and empowerment to our clients. Seven families, consisting of 24 individuals, have benefitted from our transitional housing program over this last year. Through personalized support and community partnerships, clients have been able to navigate challenges and rebuild their lives with confidence.
Empowering Play
With the installation of a new playground from the Lyle S. Hallman Foundation, families are now provided with both recreational opportunities and educational experiences. The playground has enhanced our child and youth programming and created more fun ways for children to play outdoors.
The project aims to encourage play as a development and therapeutic tool for children. It also offers moms the chance to interact with their support workers while their children participate in safe play, fostering independence.
Community Garden Project
The community garden project has been a powerful way to enhance the well-being of women and children. The introduction of horticultural therapy enhances the client’s experiences by fostering connections between plant care and self-care.
Gardening can improve mood, lower levels of stress and anxiety and lessen the severity of Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD) symptoms, especially in children. This has been a rewarding venture, which we intend to continue and eventually expand.
Individuals supported
Mothers
children
Transitional housing provides the support that actually allows people to genuinely be empowered and independent.
— Emily Hedge, Outreach Worker
Outreach Services
Outreach
“It’s important to connect with our community and not just work within our four walls on the inside,” said Natascha Hergott, Outreach Manager.
“Doing that safety planning and making clients feel like they have someone in their corner to support them is so impactful.”
Community Partnerships
The outreach team has been actively building partnerships throughout the region to better serve the community’s diverse needs. This includes partnerships with organizations like the Canadian Arab Women’s Association (CAWA), Kitchener Public Library (KPL), Coalition of Muslim Women K-W (CMW-KW), Muslim Social Services Waterloo Region (MSS), the Family Violence Project (FVP) and Family and Children’s Services (F&CS).
These partnerships have been essential for providing inclusive and holistic support to equity-deserving groups. One of the successful partnerships emerged with Craftazya, a small business that offers art workshops featuring quilling and Islamic calligraphy. One of our Outreach Workers, Urouba Kharma, attended to speak about domestic violence and the services we offer in Waterloo Region for women and children.
This workshop highlights our dedication to healing through many avenues, such as art therapy and our commitment to collaborating with diverse communities.
“By exploring and learning new self-care techniques, you can build a toolkit of coping mechanisms that you can draw upon as needed,” shares Amira Altahhan, Founder of Craftazya. “Thank you so much, Urouba Kharma, for your presentation about self-care strategies.”
New Prevention Programming
*New* Prevention Programming
Engaging Men
This year marked the launch of an exciting new endeavour at Women’s Crisis Services: our Engaging Men program. Our Engaging Men program pushes the envelope by directly addressing men’s violence against women and fostering healthy relationships.
The program recognizes the importance of supporting families who choose to stay together while addressing risks, prioritizing safety planning and centring individual choice. This approach stems from acknowledging the shame and silence experienced by individuals who stay with their partners.
Through our Engaging Men Program, we work with men in Waterloo Region who use violence towards their partners and families through one-on-one and group counselling. We received 23 self-referrals this year from men who want healthier, happier relationships and families.
Early intervention connections
Individuals supported through engaging men program
23
Jude Oudshoorn, Engaging Men Consultant
Early Intervention Connections
208
Through our Early Intervention Program, an Outreach Worker spends dedicated time with the officers at Waterloo Regional Police Services (WRPS) to connect with couples experiencing domestic violence. Together, the Outreach Worker and WRPS officer share resources and referrals, such as to our Engaging Men Program. Since Early Intervention provides the majority of referrals to the Engaging Men Program, we have added an Outreach Worker two days a week for couples reaching out for support.
Youth Education Expansion
WCSWR has expanded its Youth Education Program, recognizing that to interrupt the cycle of abuse, we must focus on violence prevention with youth. Thanks to a grant from the Waterloo Region Community Foundation, we were able to grow the program and hire an additional Youth Education Outreach Worker. Throughout 2023, the program grew exponentially and participants increased by 453%! The first six months of the year saw 66 youth in the program, whereas the following six months had 365.
With a successful pitch to the Waterloo Region District School Board, we are proud to share that we have been invited into various classrooms to run the program beginning in 2024.
Public Education Presentations
58
public education presentations
Youth Education participants
1063
Short Documentary Release
total documentary views
5K
All time podcast downloads
20K
This year, we continued to make strides with our podcast and public education series, She Is Your Neighbour. The series reached new milestones, launching a short documentary and surpassing 20,000 podcast downloads—almost double the previous year’s total!
The short documentary follows the story of Colette, a domestic violence survivor and advocate. It looks back at the creation of She Is Your Neighbour and shares how we support survivors and how the narrative surrounding domestic violence is changing.
All time podcast downloads
20K
The short documentary was shown at the NYC Social Impact Film Festival in addition to winning “Best Canadian Short” at the Change the Script Film Festival. It was also one of 50 films recently accepted into the Oregan Film Festival out of 200+ submissions — and it is one of the only Canadian films to be screened this September!
A special thank you to Digital Sabbath Film Company for producing this documentary in collaboration with Women’s Crisis Services and She Is Your Neighbour.
We also introduced Season 5 of the podcast, “When Violence Escalates.” In this series, we explored how violence builds, leading to severe incidents and death. The season showcases survivors and experts who discussed the many ways violence can increase and escalate, as well as what we can do to prevent violence from escalating. This season’s in-depth discussions provide valuable insights and actionable steps to help our community understand the risks of escalating violence and how we can all be better neighbours.
Breaking the Silence
Because of you, we raised more than $80,000 through Voices Empower: Walk to Break The Silence! We could not have reached this incredible milestone without your help. More than $60,000 was raised through crowdfunding alone, in addition to funds raised through sponsorships, offline donations and support from our amazing community partners. We can’t thank you enough for helping us raise awareness and funds this year throughout Woman Abuse Prevention Month.
Total Raised
$80,000+
Thank You For Supporting:
Hats Off to Mom!
Thank you for your continued support of our Mother’s Day fundraiser, Hats Off to Mom! After several years of celebrating virtually, we were excited to get together in person for the 6th and final Hats Off to Mom! We are incredibly grateful for your support, and we look forward to coming together in new ways to help women and children move beyond violence.
Raised Over
$30,000+
Making A Difference:
Your Fundraising Events
Tracey's Trek For Shelter
Raised: $18,268
Rona's Home Sweet Home Campaign
Raised: $12,433
Veracity Real Estate Solutions Golf Tournament
Raised: $7,000
Alpha Omega Society Breakfast in Bloom
Raised: $3,117
Your Support Matters
We could not fulfill our mission without your fantastic fundraising events held throughout the year. Your support makes all the difference and shows how powerful our community can be!
Total Raised
$82,410
Donor Spotlight
Donor Spotlight
We have a long history as a society of supporting women and children. They have been forgotten and left to the side a lot, and its something that needs our support. I can’t think of anything more urgent than women and children’s lives.
— Nik Klassen, WCSWR Donor
Treasurer’s Report
Treasurer’s Report
Women’s Crisis Services of Waterloo Region ended the year in a strong financial position. The 2023/2024 fiscal year saw the organization continue its growth in many areas and continue to serve our clients with a high level of care. The team once again rose to the challenges of the year and accomplished them with brilliance. The leadership team showed their dedication and demonstrated that they have the best interest of the organization and clients at heart.
Angela Wilson, Treasurer
Our largest funder is the Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services; funding remained relatively consistent this year.
It was amazing to see the community’s generosity through donations and participation in our fundraising campaigns. We had remained cautiously optimistic heading into this year as we are well aware of the current economic environment. The team did a fantastic job this year which led to amazing support from our community allowing Women’s Crisis Services to move forward with several initiatives.
2023/2024 Revenue
2023/2024 Expenses
*Complete copies of the financial statements are available upon request.
Thank you to
our supporters
Our organization thrives thanks to the invaluable support of our funders, donors, and community partners. Together, we are empowering women and children to break free from the cycle of violence. We are profoundly grateful to the Ministry of Children, Community, and Social Services, our primary funding source, for its essential support.
We also extend our sincere thanks to our local funders. The continued financial support from the Waterloo Region Community Foundation, United Way Waterloo Region Communities and the Lyle S. Hallman Foundation have been instrumental in supporting our safe shelter, outreach, prevention and education programs.
As we move forward into the coming year, we anticipate continued growth in the sector and positive change. Our work is only possible with the collective efforts of our community. Together, we are making a significant impact in helping women and children move beyond violence. Thank you for your ongoing support and commitment.
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