YWCA Canada is proud to launch Housing Heals, a new national program designed to support women and gender diverse people fleeing violence as they transition from emergency shelter to safe, stable housing. 

This initiative builds on the success of the National Emergency Survivor Support (NESS) Fund, which provides immediate crisis grants to help survivors escape unsafe situations. Together, NESS and Housing Heals form a two-tiered national response to gender-based violence — from urgent safety to long-term stability. This tiered model reflects YWCA Canada’s commitment to addressing the continuum of survivors’ needs, in the face of both rising gender-based violence and Canada’s deepening housing crisis.

Since 2022, the NESS Fund has helped more than 3,000 survivors escape violence, but immediate relief is only the beginning. Many survivors remain trapped in shelters or return to unsafe environments simply because they do not have safe housing options. 

Housing Heals helps free up shelter beds, supports long-term independence, and prevents survivors from cycling back into unsafe situations. Research shows that when women are supported in leaving temporary shelters in a timely and supported way, they are far less likely to return to abusive environments. 

In the face of a worsening housing crisis and rising rates of gender-based violence, Housing Heals aims to bridge the growing gap between emergency shelter and long-term stability. 

YWCA Canada is deeply grateful to the RBC Foundation for its transformational two-year investment in our Housing Heals program, through their new Inclusive Opportunities for Prosperity ambition area. We are honoured to be among RBC Foundation’s first partners in addressing housing stability.

For More Information 

If your company would like to become a program sponsor, please contact philanthropy@ywcacanada.ca. Or, to learn more about the program, please contact projects@ywcacanada.ca