History
The project to get a women’s shelter in North York began in 1980 when the women’s services committee of North York Inter Agency Council started proceedings to incorporate an organization to start a shelter. Reports from two North York hospitals which said they treat four or five cases of battered women a week was the cause for the creation of the project.
“The history of North York Women’s Shelter is a history of people who care, a history of individuals with drive and determination, of people fighting for a cause they know is right, a cause well worth fighting for.”
These were the words of Reta Duenish the shelter’s first president, who was a survivor of abuse and a life long activist who faced up to her pain so others can live without violence.
Since September of 1984 our shelter has been in operation 24-hours a day, 365 days a year and is able to accommodate 30 women and children at any given time. Through our holistic approach to programming we have been able to help women and children heal from the trauma of abuse.
For 25 years we have been a place of empowerment, safety and offered countless women and children a promise of a better tomorrow. After all these years we are still here and have renewed hope in the lives of thousands women and children. Thank you for helping make that possible.