What is a women's centre? The definition is fairly subjective:
- If you are a woman who is abused, a women's centre is a place to find guidance or a respite from life's difficulties.
- If you are a new Canadian, a centre can offer an introduction and warm welcome to your community.
- If you are a senior woman looking to connect with others, a women's centre can provide a network of friends.
- If you are a young woman struggling with body image and self-esteem issues, it can offer support.
- If you are a mother, a women's centre can provide lessons in parenting.
- If you just need someone to talk to, a women's centre volunteer will listen.
- Community Kitchens
- Kitchen Table Literacy
- Women's Business Clothing Project
- Young Women's Outreach
- Women's Family Law Clinics
- Entrepreneurial Skills Training
- Employment Counselling
- Peer Counselling
In addition to these core services, which are usually offered at no charge, many women's centres offer workshops and seminars on topics pertaining to self-care and life balance.
If you read this list and thought, "I had no idea", you are probably not alone. Such is the reality facing women's centres in Ontario. To borrow a marketing term, these centres have trouble with their "brand". Although they provide valuable services to thousands of women across the province each year, they are not well known, even in their own communities. They are also easily confused with other services, like women's shelters.
Many centres were established to assist abused women (hence the association with shelters), but have expanded their range of services to help women of all ages and backgrounds through a variety of life's challenges - divorce, loss of employment, poor self-esteem, grief, and transitions to a new community or new life situation. And they do all of this on a shoestring budget.
Funding Challenges
Like many small agencies, these centres lack a consistent and reliable funding stream that would allow them to expand and promote their program offerings. Byfunding many centres through the Ontario Women's Directorate, the provincial government offers some stability. Although generous, government funding is not enough, so most centres rely on fundraising and donations to help cover costs.
In most cases, fundraising is still not enough. The amounts the centres raise are small in comparison to the need. Why? Women's centres spend the vast majority of their budget on programs, leaving little for marketing and publicity. Without a marketing budget, it is difficult to attract attention and fundraising dollars, especially when centres are competing against larger organizations with deeper pockets and the ability to mount large-scale fundraisers.
With nothing to spend on flashy events, most women's centres rely on small fundraisers, like bake sales, walkathons, and book sales. Some run larger events, like awards ceremonies, luncheons or dinners. And most derive some funds from the nominal fees they charge for membership in the centre. Combined, these small amounts are a great help, but they are not the consistent and reliable funding that many women's centres require.
Not that a lack of funding seems to be much of an impediment. Even while focused on making every penny count, the women running these centres never lose sight of their mission. They continue in their way, quietly and without fanfare, helping some of the most vulnerable people in our communities.
That they can provide high-quality services on such a low budget shows resourcefulness, determination and ingenuity. Just imagine what these women could do if they had no worries about funding.
Women who live in Oakville, Burlington, Milton and areas can learn more about women's centres by visiting the Halton Women's Centre
A small sampling of programs from centres across Ontario demonstrates the tremendous diversity of services available.
| Evelyn Mackenzie writes frequently on behalf of the Halton Women's Centre about women's issues and the value of community supports for women. |
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