Meet Amanda

When things started to feel serious with her partner a few years ago, Amanda moved to Niagara to be with him. It was hard to leave her family and her home, but this is what her partner wanted and she wanted to make him happy. This was the natural next step to her relationship, Amanda thought. She was excited to spend more time together.

In the beginning, she didn’t recognize the ways her partner would psychologically manipulate her – getting mad at her when she wanted to spend time with friends, throwing blame at her for any issues they experienced. It just seemed like a bad temper. Eventually, the abuse escalated as yelling turned into threats. When the abuse became physical, she knew this wasn’t how a relationship was supposed to feel…she had to leave.

Now, after leaving her family, becoming isolated from her friends, living in the midst of a pandemic, Amanda found herself with nowhere to go. She knew that leaving her abuser meant facing homelessness, so she called the YW in seek of shelter.

The Women’s Advocate who received Amanda’s call welcomed her with open arms. “Come to the shelter. We have a bed for you. You’ll be safe here.”

After just 24 days in our shelter, Amanda was able to secure housing with the help of the Housing Stability Worker. She took the opportunity and returned to her home town where she could reconnect with her support system.

A month into her new housing, issues arose with her neighbors. These issues eventually escalated and soon the property manager trying to illegally evict Amanda. She didn’t understand her rights as a tenant and she didn’t know what to do next. The thought of becoming homeless again terrified her…

Amanda connected with the worker from the YW’s Housing Stability program who helped her secure the housing originally. The worker was able to mediate and advocate for her. Amanda is now safe in her lease having secured stable housing with a property manager that understands her needs. Amanda now knows that she matters and that she is worthy of a home where she can feel safe.

Our Housing Stability Program is a critical step that helps women and families experiencing homelessness return to independent living. This program would not be possible without your support and generosity. Thank you for giving hope to the women and families in need within the Niagara Region.