For vulnerable groups everywhere, the pandemic has proven a challenging time, with rising rates of domestic violence and resource scarcity often making the news. Fortunately, community organizations provide much-needed assistance across Canada, many of them focused on the unique needs of women facing hardship.
BLG provides financial assistance to support the critical work being performed by the organizations listed below. Our goal is to shine a spotlight on their efforts and champion their initiatives.
Shelters
Finding a safe place to escape can make all the difference for women facing abuse.
La rue des Femmes provides living accommodations and relational health counseling to women struggling with homelessness in Montréal. The Y des femmes Foundation covers everything from legal information to temporary housing, employability and youth services, making it a one-stop resource for many Montréal women in need.
Similarly, Sistering helps Toronto women, both cis and trans, suffering from marginalization and poverty, while providing a wealth of psychosocial services.
In Ottawa, the Chrysalis House provides a supportive environment for women and their dependents as they seek to escape violence and abuse.
Employment and social inclusion
The Working Women Community Centre fosters gainful employment and community connections for immigrant women in Toronto, providing various services in over 25 languages and giving newcomers the opportunity to build a new, successful life.
Indigenous-focused
Founded by Indigenous women decades ago, the Native Women’s Resource Centre of Toronto embraces a holistic approach to help with housing, and provides support to deal with family violence issues, adult education and more.
In Ottawa, Minwaashin Lodge is an Indigenous women's support centre that also provides a range of programs and services to women and their children escaping violence, domestic or otherwise.
Youth-oriented
Girl Action helps underprivileged girls and gender diverse youth develop skills and build confidence to reach their full potential, in every Canadian province and territory; BLG currently supports the Vancouver chapter.
Legal assistance
RISE Women’s Legal Centre is a Vancouver-based community legal clinic that serves anyone who self-identifies as a woman, anywhere in the province. Supervised senior law students assist with family law matters, empowering the recipients with sound advice and helping them to change their lives.
Other ways to support women
Through event participation and sponsorships, BLG also supports the advancement of women in various industries (like arts, business, tech and legal, to name a few).
BLG’s Driven By Women provides women in business and law a platform to connect, and opportunities to share ideas and support each other. In Calgary, our collaboration with Alberta Ballet highlighted Women in the Arts during International Women’s Day 2022. Women General Counsel Canada helps women in general counsel and legal executive roles succeed, and BLG’s evolving partnership with the organization supports their education platform, General Counsel University (GCU).
In every community, there is a need
This is far from an exhaustive list of the great organizations and other initiatives working to support women in need across this country.
We encourage you to support women-centred initiatives any way you can, whether through the organizations mentioned above or through any in your own community that work on making a difference in the lives of women.