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"FIGHT FOR THE THINGS THAT YOU CARE ABOUT, BUT DO IT
IN A WAY THAT WILL LEAD OTHERS TO JOIN YOU. "
~ Ruth Bader Ginsburg
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PROGRAM UPDATE
We are committed to ensuring the safety of our residents, staff and program participants. To reduce the risk of community transmission of COVID-19, we have modified our level of service since Monday, March 16, 2020. 
 
Our shelters and permanent housing will stay open. We remain committed to serving the most vulnerable women, girls and non-binary individuals in Toronto. 

 
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ADVOCACY CORNER
In these uncertain times, it is important to focus on facts, not fear. By practicing social distancing, and other health measures outlined by public health authorities, we are all in a position to help those most vulnerable and #FlattenTheCurve . 
 
No Canadian worker should have to worry about their financial stability amid this pandemic. Understanding your rights and what is available to you through your employer and the federal government is of critical importance. Read about Canada’s COVID-19 Economic Response Plan: Support for Canadians and Businesses. 
 
In response to COVID-19, YWCA’s national office and movement partners have advocated with the federal and provincial governments for greater funding for women’s shelters and sexual assault centres. The federal government has recently announced up to $50 million in new funding for our sector.
 
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PHILANTHROPY HIGHLIGHT
The threat of COVID-19 is affecting everyone but there are many who are at extreme risk right now. Our mission at YWCA Toronto remains to provide safe and supportive spaces for the most vulnerable women and girls in Toronto. YWCA Toronto operates two homeless shelters and two shelters for women and children fleeing violence. We are committed to ensuring our residents receive the best level of care possible. In these critical times, let us show our humanity and let calm and compassion prevail. Your help would be appreciated. Please consider making a donation today.
Photo | Kelly Sikkema _unsplash
COMMUNITY RESOURCES
As news coverage and conversations about COVID-19 increase, CBC News explores how to talk to children about the pandemic. 
 

              

Edgy
Photo | Luis Melendez_unsplash
GENDER LENS ON COVID-19

Men and women will feel the effects of the coronavirus differently and inequitable ways. 
 

Photo | Tanaphong Toochinda _unsplash
The home is not always a safe place for women and their children, even during a pandemic. If you are at risk of domestic violence, know that there are resources available to help you move into safety. 
 
For non-emergency help in Ontario, call 2-1-1 or call the Assaulted Women's Helpline
416-863-0511. 
 
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 eq uitable and just city for all residents.