Project addresses capacity needs to allow the organization to continue promoting social and systemic changes towards gender equality and to support survivors of gender-based violence
RICHMOND HILL, ON, Sept. 3, 2020 /CNW/ - COVID-19 is a crisis unlike any other. It has hit women hardest with jobs lost and women taking on more unpaid work than they already were for their kids as well as their elders. Women are the majority of those on the front lines of the fight against COVID. That includes nurses, of course, but also personal support workers, other health care workers, child care workers, food sector workers and social workers.
Women's organizations provide vital services in our communities, supporting women and girls to be financially secure, free from violence, and able to fully participate in all aspects of our economy and society. Yet, there is still a lot of work to do to ensure they have the resources they need to continue their important work.
That's why today, Majid Jowhari, Member of Parliament for Richmond Hill, on behalf of the Honourable Maryam Monsef, Minister for Women and Gender Equality and Rural Economic Development, announced an investment of $213,350 for the Yellow Brick House. The funding will enhance their organizational capacity so they can continue their important work of supporting abused women and their children, and promoting social and systemic change in Richmond Hill and Ontario's York Region.
Yellow Brick House is one of more than 250 women's organizations and Indigenous organizations serving women across Canada receiving funding under Women and Gender Equality Canada's Capacity-building Fund. This investment stems from the Budget 2018 announcement of $100 million over five years to support a viable and sustainable women's movement across the country.
Quotes
"No one should live in fear of domestic abuse and gender-based violence. That is why I am so pleased to make this announcement today, as this investment from the Government of Canada enables the Yellow Brick House to continue its outstanding work and better support survivors of gender-based violence and their families in Richmond Hill and York Region."
Majid Jowhari
Member of Parliament for Richmond Hill
"At the Yellow Brick House, we offer shelter, counselling and supportive services to families 24 hours a day and seven days a week, and we are often operating at capacity. We deeply appreciate this funding from the Government of Canada, which will allow us to improve our organizational capacity to better serve those in need of our services."
Lorris Herenda, Executive Director
Yellow Brick House
Quick Facts
- As part of the COVID-19 response, the Government of Canada is investing $350 million in the Emergency Community Support Fund to support charities and non-profit organizations requiring financial assistance to address the pandemic.
- As part of the COVID-19 Economic Response Plan, $50 million was allocated to support organizations providing services to women and their families fleeing violence, $40 million of which was allocated by Women and Gender Equality Canada. Through the first phase of this funding, $30 million was directly delivered to nearly 700 women's shelters and organizations serving survivors of sexual assault. Through the second phase, the remaining $10 million is being distributed to other organizations that provide important services to those experiencing gender-based violence. Through both phases of this funding, the federal government is supporting nearly 1,000 organizations across the country.
- Budget 2018 announced $100 million over five years to support a viable and sustainable women's movement across Canada. Adding to this historic investment, Budget 2019 invested a further $160 million over five years, starting in 2019–20, in Women and Gender Equality Canada's Women's Program. This means that in 2023–24, the Women's Program, which supports eligible organizations to carry out projects to advance equality by addressing systemic barriers, will total $100 million.
- This funding will enable women's organizations and Indigenous organizations serving women to tackle systemic barriers impeding women's progress, while recognizing and addressing the diverse experiences of gender and inequality across the country.
- In June 2017, Women and Gender Equality Canada (formerly Status of Women Canada) announced the first-ever federal Strategy to Prevent and Address Gender-Based Violence. To date, the Government of Canada has invested over $200 million to prevent gender-based violence, support survivors and their families, and create more responsive legal and justice systems.
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Backgrounder
Women and Gender Equality Canada – Women's Program
Women and Gender Equality Canada (WAGE) works to advance equality for women by focusing its efforts in three priority areas: increasing women's economic security and prosperity; encouraging women's leadership and democratic participation; and ending gender-based violence. WAGE also plays a leadership role in the government-wide implementation of Gender-based Analysis Plus (GBA+).
One of the ways WAGE advances gender equality in Canada is by providing funding to eligible organizations through the Women's Program. Projects are selected via calls for proposals on specific themes, as well as through a continuous intake process that allows the Women's Program to address emerging issues as they arise.
The Women's Program funds projects that address systemic barriers to women's equality in three priority areas: ending violence against women and girls; improving the economic security and prosperity of women and girls; and encouraging women and girls in leadership roles. The objective of the Women's Program is to achieve the full participation of women in the economic, social and democratic life of Canada.
Capacity-building Call for Proposals
In October 2018, Minister Monsef announced a Call for Proposals under the Capacity-building Fund of the Women's Program. Projects at the local, provincial/territorial, and national level were eligible for different amounts of funding, based on their specific internal needs and reach.
On March 8, 2019, International Women's Day, Minister Monsef announced that over 250 women's organizations across the country would receive funding from the Capacity-building Fund.
The objective is to fund proposals that will increase the capacity of eligible women's organizations and Indigenous organizations working to advance women's equality, whose initiatives contribute to a viable women's movement in Canada that advances gender equality. Funding will help to increase organizational capacity and help organizations work collectively to address gender equality issues. This funding provided the flexibility for organizations to apply for funding to address their specific capacity needs. The fund stems from the Budget 2018 announcement of $100 million over five years to help support a viable and sustainable women's movement across Canada.
York Region Project
Today's announcement profiles a project in Richmond Hill, Ontario, for federal funding through the Capacity-building Fund:
Yellow Brick House
Project title: Project Hostel
Funding amount: $213,350
This 45-month project will address organizational capacity needs to allow the Yellow Brick House to continue promoting social and systemic changes towards gender equality. The organization will enhance its capacity by implementing a strategic fundraising plan to increase core funding, expand public education activities to raise awareness of abuse prevention programs, and hire a full-time program evaluator to ensure excellence and continuity in program delivery.
The Yellow Brick House is a community organization that provides services in support of women and children, including a 24/7 crisis line and emergency shelter. Its mission is to empower and give a voice to women and children who have experienced violence in Richmond Hill and Ontario's York Region. It also raises awareness in communities about the need for change to end of violence against women and children.
Associated Links
- Yellow Brick House
- Canada's COVID-19 Economic Response Plan
- Capacity-building Fund
- Women and Gender Equality Canada – Women's Program
Follow the Women and Gender Equality Canada:
SOURCE Women and Gender Equality Canada
Marie-Pier Baril, Press Secretary, Office of the Minister for Women and Gender Equality and Rural Economic Development, 613-295-8123; Media Relations, Women and Gender Equality Canada, 1-855-969-9922
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