WISH

Donations:

We are currently not receiving donations of household goods.   We are pleased to announce that at present we have a sufficient amount on hand. We would like to send a special thank you out to all community donors for your generous support. 

What is WISH?
YWCA Halifax’s Women in Supported Housing Program (WISH) is a scattered supported housing program serving a maximum of 24 single women ages 19 and older who have experienced chronic homelessness. Each WISH program participant is provided a fully furnished apartment and the support they need to stay housed. The WISH program provides a variety of supports and services to the participants, such as financial management, home visitation, eviction prevention, case planning, advocacy, service navigation and 24-hour emergency on-call support. 


What Needs Does WISH Address?
The goals of the YWCA WISH program are to:

• Reduce the number of homeless women in Halifax, and reduce the number of women who are homeless repeatedly.

• Move and sustain as many women as possible to a higher level of independence and self-sufficiency;

• Prevent at-risk women from being exploited by unscrupulous lenders and abusive relationships by providing them with safe and trustworthy financial services;

• Support the success of income support programs and other support services;

• Contribute to the local economy by making sure that landlords and other creditors of our participants receive their payments regularly and on time.

Who Does WISH Benefit?
Of the women served in WISH, many are mental health consumers, a number are in recovery from addiction, and all have experienced  abuse. In addition, a high number of our participants have been homeless at least three times in the last five years before coming to the YWCA. Despite these concurrent barriers, the WISH program is making a real difference. Many of our participants volunteer or are enrolled in educational upgrading or training programs, and  many are accessing mental health and addictions programs. The YWCA’s WISH program is a real solution to alleviating and preventing homelessness enabling the most vulnerable women in our community to turn their lives around.  
 
YWCA WISH is cost effective, builds on community assets, increases the capacity of  participants,  is based on best practices and identified community need. We work from a "housing first" approach, complementing existing housing services in an innovative, participant-centered and solution-focused approach.


For information on WISH or our other housing programs call 423-6162 ext 222, e-mail Wanda at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or fill out this form.