In honour of International Women’s Day on March 8th, we’re sharing stories from the amazing women who work on the front lines of our programs, from counsellors to support workers. Every day, they work hard and show great compassion to the brave and resilient women who come through our doors.
“She faced many challenges and barriers from the beginning.
First, her oldest child didn’t want to move with her because she didn’t want to live in a ‘facility.’ This was very discouraging. However, with support from her family, she was able to leave the abuse and find a safe place to go with her other four children. In the meantime, her oldest stayed with a grandmother.
She got herself on Income Assistance and Legal Aid to transition to life as a single parent. While actively looking for stable long-term housing, she continuously searched for courses and employment opportunities for herself.
She wanted to be able to support herself and her children on her own. She found that having such a big family while being on Income Assistance, finding affordable market housing was nearly impossible.
Now that she’s registered in courses to pursue the profession of her choice, her biggest goal is to successfully transition into the world as a single parent raising five children and securing employment to support them. Now, she is working on getting her residence back into her possession. When that happens, she can be united with all of her children.
She wasn’t put in the best situation. However, she used that as motivation to keep going and support herself and her family. Her strength was so inspiring and really stood out for me.”
Maria is the Women’s Support Worker at Wenda’s Place, Second Stage Housing.
Every year, over 500 women and children seek safety, guidance, and hope at Dixon. You can help.
Celebrate International Women’s Day by donating to Dixon Transition Society.
When you make a donation to Dixon Transition Society, you show women that you believe in them, you believe in their right to be safe, and you want them to have every opportunity to build a healthy, thriving life free from violence.
