Women's Shelters Canada brings together 14 provincial and territorial shelter organizations representing over 400 shelters across Canada. Our mission is to work as a unified voice for systemic change to end violence against women, while providing leadership for collaboration and knowledge exchange among shelters and transition houses across the country.
Drawn together by a shared vision to end violence against women, the provincial and territorial organizations representing women’s shelters and transition houses began giving shape to the Canadian Network of Women’s Shelters & Transition Houses (renamed Women’s Shelters Canada in 2017). Together, we have become a national, unified, and collaborative voice for change.
Our work includes:
Sheltersafe.ca – a clickable map connecting women with the nearest shelter that can offer safety, hope, and support
Advocating for a National Action Plan on Violence Against Women
Shelter Voices – a yearly publication from data collected from shelters across the country, highlighting the voices behind the numbers
Shelter Exchange Program – reciprocal exchanges of shelter workers from across the country, to learn from each other’s work, practices, and contexts in a hands-on way
Open Doors Project – a training program designed to empower shelters and transition houses to be more inclusive and trauma-informed when serving women escaping abuse
Coordinating knowledge sharing (e.g. webinars, workshops) between leading practitioners and researchers in the field and shelters and shelter workers
Organizing a national conference in June 2018 for the shelter sector