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YWCA Metro Vancouver
At YWCA Metro Vancouver, women’s safety, equal opportunities and long-term economic independence are integral to our vision of achieving women’s equality.
We are a volunteer and membership-based organization that serves over 55,000 people through more than 45 programs and services.
A key focus area for the YWCA is providing safe, affordable housing options for women and children. Access to housing is a significant barrier to women’s safety and often is what keeps them and their families in poverty. We operate seven housing communities for single mothers and their children ranging from short-term transitional housing to long-term housing options. With stable housing, many of our clients are able to rebuild their lives and look to the future. Here is one of their stories.
Supportive Housing Brings Wellness and Renewal
Back in 2004, Bobbi was pregnant and staying at a detox centre. Finding YWCA Crabtree Corner Housing in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside couldn’t have come at a better time. “I was destitute, addicted to many substances,” she says. “They saved my baby’s life and supported me through ups and downs.”
Bobbi thrived at Crabtree Corner, a place where pregnant and parenting women can stay temporarily while they are fighting their substance use issues. She lived at Crabtree through her pregnancy and until her daughter was four months old and, while there, took part in a parenting program and other activities such as arts and crafts. When it was time for Bobbi and her baby to move on, the staff helped her find subsidized housing and funding to go to school.
From the frontlines, Crabtree Housing Manager Benita Ho sees a great need for affordable supportive housing like Crabtree Corner. The supportive housing model incorporates holistic services like child care and links to resources like mental health workers, all conducive to helping women pursue their recovery needs. “We need to help the whole person facing different struggles,” Benita says.
Today Bobbi is on the path to wellness and renewal. Two years ago Bobbi came back to Crabtree as a mentor to one of their young moms. Articulate and thoughtful, enthusiastic and optimistic, Bobbi has just finished her practicum in a counseling substance abuse program and plans to become a support worker.
She and her daughter Harmony, now age five, and son Eli, four, have lived for the past four years in the same subsidized housing that Crabtree Corner staff helped her find.
How has living in a stable place helped Bobbi? “My bills get paid and my kids eat,” she says. “How hasn’t it helped?”
For more information on YWCA Metro Vancouver’s affordable housing please click here
Donate to Great Causes
The YWCA Metro Vancouver does amazing things for our community and the communities they serve. Support them and give back by making a donation during registration. To make additional donations after registration or to invite family and friends to donate, visit our Donate Now page. Thank you for helping to make a great impact for our community!