"ANOTHER WORLD IS NOT ONLY POSSIBLE, SHE IS ON HER WAY.
ON A QUIET DAY, I CAN HEAR HER BREATHING."
~ Arundhati Roy
PROGRAM UPDATE
To ensure the safety of our residents and staff, we transferred residents from our YWCA Davenport shelter to a temporary emergency shelter in the Beaches neighbourhood  where social and physical distancing measures can be implemented. Thanks to the City for helping us make this happen!  
 
ADVOCACY CORNER
YWCA Toronto is a founding member of the  Coalition for Gun Control, and as such we were pleased to see the federal government’s recent decision to ban military-grade assault weapons. Read our  gun control statement  in response to this announcement and to find out more about why there is an  urgent  need to extend this ban to handguns as well.  
PHILANTHROPY HIGHLIGHT
We regret to inform you that we will be postponing this year’s Women of Distinction Awards Gala until 2021. This decision, which results in approximately $700,000 in
lost revenue, was a difficult one, but we take the safety and health of our Women of Distinction, guests, volunteers and staff very seriously. We will be celebrating our recipients in 2021 at an event that is sure to inspire. In the meantime, please  consider contributing to YWCA Toronto’s Emergency Support Fund .  As you can imagine, we need your support more than ever before.
COMMUNITY RESOURCES
Thank you to the Violence Against Women Learning Network for this  useful collection of resources. Whether you’re a service provider or community member, this hub of information is important as
we continue to face the rise
of domestic violence during COVID-19. 


To ensure our sector is able 
to provide vital services amid rapidly rising costs, falling revenues, and, for many, a substantial increase in demand, we are urging the provincial government to create a $680 million sector stabilization fund. Ontario’s charities and non-profits require investment to survive this crisis and to help lead recovery efforts.  Read more about the stabilization fund.  
Edgy
GUN VIOLENCE IN OUR CITY
 
Our Manager of Advocacy, Jasmine Rezaee, contributed to  this recent conversation  about the continuing rise of gun violence in our city. Read more about the experiences of mothers and community members trying to make Toronto a safe place for everyone to
call home.. 
   
Photo | Jess Bailey on Unsplash
CALL FOR BLOG CONTENT
 
Are you a writer looking for a way to reach a wider, engaged audience? Why not write for the YWCA Toronto blog?! We’re looking for volunteer writers to contribute feminist content to our blog. Write about issues close to you and your experiences in our city. For more info or to pitch a blog article, contact  lpragg@ywcatoronto.org
LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
 YWCA Toronto operates in communities that stand on the traditional territory of the Huron-Wendat and Petun First Nations, the Seneca, and most recently, the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation. The territory was the subject of the Dish With One Spoon Wampum Belt Covenant, an agreement between the Iroquois Confederacy and the Ojibwe and allied nations to share peacefully and care for the resources around the Great Lakes.

Today, the meeting place of Toronto is still the home to many Indigenous people and we are grateful to have the opportunity to work on this territory as we strive to build a more equitable and just city for all residents.