For 146 years, the YWCA Montreal has been proudly standing up for all women and girls of Montreal. 146 years of innovation, flexibility and commitment have contributed towards allowing the women of Montreal to participate in society at their fullest potential. Although we have come a long way, there is still much to be done!
WE BELIEVE that the future of Montreal, its citizens and its businesses is based on a society that is more inclusive, more egalitarian, and less violent. We believe in a Montreal that is vigilant with respect to diversity and inclusion, making it an example to cities around the world.
We share the vision of the YWCA and its Foundation :
BUILD — AND REBUILD — A BETTER FUTURE FOR THE WOMEN AND GIRLS OF MONTREAL.
To achieve this goal, the YWCA and its Foundation have put in place a plan for the future that will allow as many women and girls as possible to benefit from and access programs and services that will effectively meet their needs—not just now, but in the years to come. This plan for the future will come to life in a new environment undergoing major revitalizationand in which the YWCA Montreal will actively participate, thus helping to create a positive impact on the community.
As Quebec’s epicentre of the COVID-19 pandemic, Montreal had to put a significant portion of its economy on hold as of mid-March. While Montreal continues to struggle with this health crisis, the city is gradually getting back on its feet and picking up the pieces. The critical situation we are navigating has exacerbated the inequalities already experienced by many women, including low-income, older, single-parent, disabled, immigrant, black, racialized, and indigenous women, and those who are in a violent relationship or homeless.
Help us make Montreal an egalitarian, inclusive and non-violent city by wholeheartedly and generously supporting the YWCA’S PLAN FOR THE FUTURE for Montreal women and girls.
This plan is a way to invest in quality of life, which, for the past 146 years, has been and will continue to be the driving force behind the YWCA Montreal.
Together, let us build a better future for the women and girls of Montreal!
Helen Antoniou et Laurent Ferreira,
Co-chairs of the major campaign
1 Woman or girl refers to any person identifying themselves as such.
For more information, please contact Isabelle Lajeunesse, Executive Director of the Women’s Y Foundation of Montreal.
This major undertaking will go down in history as a significant YWCA Montreal achievement and will generate positive benefits for women and girls, and for society as a whole.
The fight against poverty, job insecurity, isolation and violence is everyone’s business.
Women and girls need to improve their self-confidence and develop healthy and egalitarian relationships.
You would like to associate your name with an organization that has a reputation for excellence and is well-known for its expertise.
You have the privilege to contribute towards building a better future for women and girls by giving them the opportunity to reach their full potential.
BE A STAKEHOLDER IN BUILDING A BETTER FUTURE FOR WOMEN AND FOR MONTREAL.
We invite you to contribute to the 10 million dollar * campaign to empower the YWCA and to transform the future of women and girls in Montreal.
*Of this sum, 10% will go towards facing the financial challenge we are experiencing as a result of the COVID-19 crisis. Because we have lost a portion of our self-financing revenue, this will help us adapt to the impact of this crisis and continue with our programs and services for Montreal women and girls.
Project management costs
The ratio of operating expenses related to the realization of the major fundraising campaign is expressed as a percentage of the overall amount collected for this said campaign, which represents on average between 5% and 10%.
Helen Antoniou
Executive coach, Speaker and Author
Laurent Ferreira
President and CEO – National Bank of Canada
Elaine Barsalou
Managing Director, Investment Banking – National Bank Financial
Édith Cloutier
President of the Board of Directors – Women’s Y Foundation
President Quebec – Rogers Communications
Karine Eid
Head, Business Banking, Eastern Canada – Bank of Montreal
Patrick Hainault
Vice-president – TD Commercial Banking Services
Isabelle Lajeunesse
Executive Director, Women’s Y Foundation
Maude Leblond
Managing Director & Head, Financial Institutions & Securitization, Investment Banking – National Bank Financial Markets
Judith Ménard
Senior Vice President – National Bank Private Banking 1859
Leslie Silver and Laurent Ferreira
Luc Bertrand
Marcel Bourassa
Guy Côté
Judith Ménard
Daniel Lalonde
Annie Lemieux
Elizabeth Wirth
AGF Group Foundation
Fasken
Fondation Éclo
Quailco Investissements Inc.
Les habitations Sylvain Ménard Inc.
Borden Ladner Gervais
Alan & Roula Rossy Family Foundation
CAE
Fondation Écho
Blakes
Fondation St-Hubert
PwC Canada
Cascades
Barry F. Lorenzetti Foundation
evolving to always respond to the needs of women and girls.
For 147 years, the YWCA Montreal has contributed towards making Montreal a city that offers all its female citizens a better quality of life. The flexibility and commitment of our unique, multi-service community actions has allowed us to adapt to and meet the changing needs of women living in Montreal.
Scroll through the milestones of the YWCA Montreal from 1855 to today.
First YWCA opens in England
YWCA of Montreal
Job placement service
Domestic Science and Culinary Arts School
First fitness centre for women in Montreal
Support and assistance during the Great Depression
The adventure of being a woman: first leadership activities in high schools
Relocation to 1355 René-Lévesque Blvd. West
Emergency Housing services
The YWCA Montreal opens up to all women, irrespective of their religion, age or background
Extensive action-research on women and their diverse social roles
Transition house – one of the first for female victims of conjugal violence and their children
Collaboration in the “Pour les Québécoises, égalité et indépendence” report for the Council on the Status of Women
Legal Information Clinic that offers 30 minutes of confidential and individual information sessions with lawyers or notaries
OSE Program (Orientation and service for employment)
Launch of the Women’s Y Foundation
The name “Y des femmes de Montréal” is officially adopted
The Residence Social Reintegration program
Action-research on the recruitment of girls by street gangs
Collaboration in the brief submitted by the Concertation des luttes contre l’exploitation sexuelle (CLES)
Family Caregivers Support program
Submission of three briefs on: equality, solidarity and inclusion; and registration of firearms
The Mothers Work integration program becomes Women’s Work Integration Program and now accepts women without children.
In 2019-2020, roughly 4,380 women, girls and boys benefited directly from YWCA Montreal’s programs, services, workshops and training sessions.
Aged from 3 months to 83 years old.
68% were from immigrant backgrounds.
In order to boost its contribution to the quality of life in Montreal in the decades to come, the YWCA Montreal has placed girls and women at the heart of its mission.
Now, more than ever, the objective of our 2020-2023 plan for the future is to place us at the forefront of ever-evolving needs, to allow women to participate at their fullest potential in building Montreal’s future, and to overcome the additional hurdles resulting from COVID-19.
Customized one-on-one support will be provided to women seeking a successful and long-lasting return to work or school.
Our experience has shown us that some very specific problems can sometimes be a hindrance in the journey to reintegration or professional requalification (a diploma that was not obtained because of a missing math credit, a poor understanding of the equivalency system, failed French tests, etc.). The current team will be augmented and organized so as to help overcome these obstacles efficiently.
In addition, longer hoursand broadened eligibility criteria will allow all women, including those who already have a job, to access counselling, tools and other services to improve their employment situation.
Connections to employers to establish improved collaborations and employment opportunitiesin fields of the future such as Sciences, Technologies, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM), among others.
Jobs in the sectors most impacted by the current crisis (tourism, event management, restaurants, and others) are mostly held by women. Given that these job losses are significant, the need for support will be even greater and more critical.
In 2019-2020, more than 600 women benefited from our different employability programs. Through the new Passport to Employment, this number will gradually increase to over 1000.
A transitional residence that has been revamped, redesigned, expanded and updated, integrating universal accessibility principles, able to accommodate twice as many women, and, for the first time, families as well as women playing a role of natural caregiver to a loved one will be able to be accommodated, in addition to solo women, in spaces designed and fitted out according to their needs. 24/7 psychosocial support and support will also be offered in-site.
In 2019-2020, we welcomed 104 women aged between 20 and 70, living with problems related to mental health (67%), problems of various violence (65%) and addiction problems (17%). Currently, due to lack of available space, the YWCA Montreal refuses a dozen requests for accommodation from women with children each month.
To break the cycle of homelessness and reduce the risk of falling into it again, women must have access to safe spaces where they can settle over a long period of time in order to rebuild their foundations.
In addition, the prevention of homelessness for the mother will have an undeniable impact on the lives of children: prevention of dropping out of school, drug addiction, integration disorders in society, among others.
This residence will work in close collaboration, as is already the case, with the various emergency housing resources in order to ensure the smoothest transition and the best support possible.
Adjacent to its residence, the YWCA will build 36 permanent family housing units for low- and middle-income women. Providing access to affordable housing allows families to free up funds that can be used for other essential expenses, including food, education, clothing and health needs.
These units will include up to three bedrooms and provide families with a healthy and safe living environment.
Whether this is for you, your daughter, your friend, your mother, etc., this drop-in, consultation, counselling and referral service will be there to answer questions and meet the needs of women and girls (work, health, sexuality, violence, intimidation, relations, rights, etc.) and quickly direct them to the appropriate YWCA services or external resources.
In addition, support services and one-on-one follow-up services will be offered to complement preventative actions and awareness raising activities among youth, services provided by our Legal Information Clinic, among others.
Lastly, the 360 support hub will incorporate a range of activities and services revolving around women’s overall health and well-being, including physical, artistic, cultural, relaxation and information-sharing activities.
In order to provide greater visibility to Montreal women and girls, our plan for the future will unfold in a new establishment located in the borough of Ville-Marie, which is where the YWCA was first conceived 146 years ago.
It will be located in a district that is vibrant, safe and eclectic, one that is undergoing a complete revitalization, an area that is inclusive and diverse, with a density at a human scale, and that promotes interaction.
This new establishment will come to life in a bright, open, welcoming new space located on Esplanade Cartier and will be close to 80,000 ft2 in size.
