TRANSITIONAL HOUSING

Internal Transitional Housing Programs 

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FOCUS Employment Program 

Supported by Scotiabank ScotiaRISE program

FOCUS invests in people first and assists clients in YWCA transitional housing transition into employment by providing clients with basic career development support, advice, and guidance. It includes everything from addressing the root causes of why clients cannot find and keep employment in the first place, to assisting with resume preparation and job search, and money management and budgeting after they receive their first and ongoing paycheques. This employment project is part of the inclusive programming for women and men who want to make positive changes in their lives.  Many of these people are low-income, have been unemployed long-term, are receiving income assistance or unemployment support, need intensive personal support, and have had previous or current issues with finding and keeping suitable employment.  

 

Finding and keeping a job is much more complex than simply preparing a resume and finding a job that matches their skill set. Many of the clients that the YWCA works with have been out of the workforce for long periods of time, are new immigrants who are unfamiliar with the Canadian workplace, and/or have various issues and impediments that affect finding a job (e.g. lack of training/education, lack of affordable childcare, addictions etc). This program invests in people first and deals with all the factors that impede people from finding and keeping suitable employment. Moving forward, YWCA will be working with clients and local employers to do job placements.

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Cooking and Nutrition Programs

YWCA's 'Housing, Food, and Families First' project teaches basic principles of good nutrition in a respectful way, family meal preparation and celebration with others, provide families with nutritious, culturally-appropriate food, and provide support for families to live healthy lives with dignity. Food security at the community level is when all citizens have reliable, personally acceptable, and nutritious diet choices through a sustainable food system that maximizes healthy choices, community self-reliance, and equal access for everyone. 

 

Paying for food is a problem when you don’t have enough money, unless you are a very skilled shopper and a resourceful from-scratch cook. Families often do not have enough money to buy food, particularly in Yellowknife where food prices are extremely high. Some larger families have less than $300 a month for food, and some single parents or women who have recently separated from their partners have very little financial resources due to a variety of factors. Rent costs, bills and children’s expenses often take priority over food. Not only that, people may be ill or have personal situations which make it hard for them to get or prepare nutritious food. By providing groceries and meat at a reasonable price, as well as providing cooking classes that make the most of a dollar, YWCA staff will help ensure that families are fed and, most importantly, that they can focus on the root causes that put or are keeping them in poverty in the first place. When a person is hungry or does not have adequate shelter, they are unable to focus on getting and keeping themselves out of poverty. This includes a breakfast and lunch program, a group cooking class, and special event meals for families. 

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The Food Box Program 

This program allows individuals to purchase meat at a much lower price than prices at the supermarket and offers a 'hand up' and not a 'hand out'. YWCA secures meat at cost from a local butcher, and these boxes are portioned and sold to families at a reduction of 50% on the most expensive part of their grocery bill. We focus primarily on meat in the food boxes as families have access to donated produce and other groceries from Food Rescue and Yellowknife Co-op. 

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Literacy & Computer Skills

Family support workers and other skilled local organizations work with clients and children to assist with literacy skills and basic computer skills such as word processing, email, and more. And when parents are attending programming, kids can enjoy books and resources from the NWT Literacy Council to stay engaged and interested in learning and reading. 

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