Coming from Afghanistan with her mom, Husnia was excited about her future in Canada. That changed when they arrived and found that her stepfather, who had sponsored them, had become a different person. Concerned for their safety, Husnia and her mom knew they had to leave him.
They learned about YWCA housing and were able to temporarily move into a second-stage transition house for women fleeing family violence. With the help of a YWCA support worker, they began looking for a permanent place to live.
For many women and their children in Metro Vancouver, safe, affordable housing is out of reach. Those who are in unsafe homes often remain with their abusers if they have no other options.
This is why the YWCA is committed to building more safe and affordable homes for women and children. In the last 25 years, the YWCA has created 16 housing communities in seven cities across Metro Vancouver, providing secure homes for more than 700 women and children.
It’s not enough. With the steep rise in the cost of rental housing and the prevalence of renovictions, there are more than 1,000 single-mother-led families on YWCA’s housing waitlist. To respond to this need, the YWCA established the YWCA Housing Action Fund.
The YWCA Housing Action Fund helps move new, affordable housing projects from concept to construction. Without these funds in place, projects may be delayed or reduced in scale. Instead, donor support enabled YWCA Sandy So Vista, which opened in September, to double its number of deeply affordable units for women and their children.
As a result, both Husnia and her mom got long-term, affordable housing. And it has been life-changing for them.
“My confidence has emerged and I feel like my future path is clear,” Husnia said, adding she’s pursuing her Bachelor of Business Administration at Langara College.
To learn more about the Housing Action Fund and how your support can help us build new homes, visit ywcavan.org/housing-action-fund or reach out to Shantal Cashman at scashman@ywcavan.org or 604-895-5859.
