At Nellie’s, we’re eternally grateful for our amazing community of generous donors. From hardworking businesses to selfless individuals, Nellie’s is stronger because of every single person who has supported us over the years. Every donation helps ensure that we can always meet the needs of the women and their children living at Nellie’s, as well as those who need the support of our community programs and services.

May is Leave a Legacy Month in Canada, and we want to highlight this incredible way to support us through your will and estate plans. “It’s about how you want to ensure your memory lives on,” explains Ingrid Graham, Nellie’s director of development. “So if Nellie’s is important to you in your lifetime, leaving a legacy helps the organization continue the work that mattered to you.”

There are many reasons you may choose to leave a gift to Nellie’s through your will. For some, it’s about supporting a charity close to their heart, while for others it’s a way to ensure their memory lives on after they’re gone. Whatever your reasons, naming Nellie’s for a gift through your estate ensures that we can continue to support women and their children impacted by abuse, trauma, and homelessness. While government funding ensures our shelter provides a roof over our heads and beds to sleep in, the essential programs and services we deliver to meet the ever-changing and complex needs of our community are only possible because of our generous donors.

“When people hear the word ‘legacy’, they think that it has to be a transformative gift,” says Ingrid. “They think it has to be something large, but it doesn’t. It can be anything from $1000, to…well, the sky’s the limit. It all matters. It’s a great way to help organizations continue to do their important work.”

Here are a few of the ways you can leave a legacy to Nellie’s in your will:

Bequest a cash amount: This is the most common type of legacy gift. It can be a specific dollar amount, a specific gift, a percentage of your estate or the remaining balance of your estate after you’ve provided for loved ones.

Name Nellie’s as a beneficiary on your life insurance policy: This allows you to make a significant donation to Nellie’s at a relatively low cost, while protecting the value of your estate and possibly even providing you with a tax saving.

Gift of retirement saving plans: If you’re not survived by a spouse and have no dependent children (or have already made arrangements for your children), leftover retirement funds make an excellent charitable gift, and offer a tax-saving benefit on your estate.

Invest in charitable gift annuities: This provides a way to increase your income and reduce your taxes, all while making a substantial gift to Nellie’s to help us ensure we can always provide a safe space to the women and their children who need us.

To leave a legacy to Nellie’s, you need to know:

• Nellie’s legal name is Women’s Hostels Incorporated
• Nellie’s charitable registration number is 11930-2727-RR0001
• Our mailing address is 970 Queen St. E., PO Box 98118, Toronto, ON M4M 1J8

Here are some other tips to consider when leaving a legacy:

Talk to your family about your wishes: These can be tough conversations but doing so will make it much easier for your loved ones when you pass away.

Get professional advice: A financial advisor can help you better understand legacy options and a lawyer can help you write your will.

For more information on leaving a legacy, please contact Ingrid Graham, Director of Development at Ingrid@nellies.org or at 416-645-1419.

Summer Student Positions

Nellie’s operates a 36 bed shelter for women and children who are homeless and leaving violence and provides community support for women living in the community. Nellie’s is a community based feminist women’s organization committed to social justice and anti-oppression. Currently we are looking for 7 summer student positions:

• Two (2) Student Counsellors
• Two (2) Student Community Support & Outreach Worker
• One (1) Student Children Program Worker
• One (1) House Coordinator Assistant
• One (1) Student Special Event Assistant

For the Children Program Worker position, CPR/First Aid certificate is required. 

Qualifications:

Must meet all Canada Summer Jobs criteria including:

• Be between 15-30 years of age at the start of employment;
• Have been registered as a full-time student in the previous academic year and intend to return to school on a full-time basis in the next academic year;
• Be a Canadian citizen, permanent resident or person to whom refugee protection has been conferred under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act:
• Be legally entitled to work in Canada in accordance with relevant Ontario legislation and regulations.

Working Period:                                            33 hours per week for 8 weeks from May 15 – August 31, 2017

Hours:                                                                          Monday – Friday

Salary:                                                                          $12/hour

We regret that our shelter location is not wheelchair accessible.

 Faxes or phone calls will not be accepted. Please email your resume and cover letter with specific position you’re applying to janna@nellies.org.

 This position requires a criminal reference check as per Ministry requirements.

Date of Posting:           Monday May 1, 2017

Deadline:                      Friday May 12, 2017

We are sorry that only those candidates who will be interviewed will be contacted.

Responsibilities

1. PROGRAM DELIVERY

• Works as part of the shelter and community support staff teams in providing parent relief and children’s programs.
• Maintains established routines for the children and youth and organizes age appropriate developmental activities for children and youth.
• Ensures that all health and safety guidelines and shelter policies are followed.
• Communicates with parents, shelter and community support staff
• Advises shelter and community support staff of suspected abuse immediately.

1. ADMINISTRATION

• Responsible for completing all required documentation and reports.

Qualifications and Experience

• Proven commitment to AR/AO
• Demonstrates leadership.
• Regular evening work required and occasional weekends
• At least Grade 12 Diploma
• Previous experience in childcare
• 2 or more years’ experience working with children in crisis and/or in the areas of homelessness, poverty and violence
• Experience in and commitment to working within an anti-oppression framework
• Experience in the social service sector ideally in an agency delivering counseling, crisis intervention or advocacy services
• Able to work shifts including nights and weekends
• Consistently demonstrates reliable professionalism in working in, out and across the organization
• Excellent counseling and/or facilitating skills
• Excellent computer and database management skills
• Excellent written and oral communication skills.
• Knowledge of the social service sector
• Strong understanding of child & family services
• Strong communication and negotiation skills
• Networking skills
• Negotiation and advocacy skills
• Public speaking skills
• Team building methods
• Comprehensive knowledge in Children Aid Society 

Hours:           Different shifts including Evenings, Weekends and Holidays
Salary:           $17.66/hr

Nellie’s is committed to the development of an agency that reflects the women it serves.  Applications from Aboriginal Women, World Majority Women/Women of Colour, Lesbians, Bisexual Women, Transgendered Women and Women with DisAbilities, Women who have experienced Violence and Consumer Survivors are strongly encouraged.

.We regret that our shelter location is not physically accessible.

Faxes, emails or phone calls will not be accepted.

Please mail your letter of application, including resume and cover letter to:

 Marlene Bell
Program Manager
970 Queen St. East
PO Box 98118
Toronto, ON M4M 1J8

This position requires a criminal reference check as per Ministry requirements.

Date of Posting:                 Friday April 21, 2017
Deadline:                              Friday May 12, 2017

Notice of  43rd Annual General Meeting 

6-8:00pm, Wednesday September 21, 2016

Ralph Thornton Community Centre

765 Queen Street East, 2nd Floor

Food, Childcare & Sign Language Interpretation Available

* The Mexicans Folk Ballet (TMFB) is a non-profit dance company.  The main objective is to share and spread the cultural roots of Mexico through a show based on the dynamism, aesthetics and polychrome of the Mexican folklore, in order to promote the love of the Mexican traditions and customs through the combination of dance and music supported by the great cultural heritage of Mexico.

The Mexicans Folk Ballet was awarded second place in the 2012 International Folk Dance Competition at the Chin Picnic Festival.  In 2014 they participated in the Festival of Cultures in Guiyang, China, and for three consecutive years they were guest of honor at the Charm of Song and Dance Concert organized by the Academy of Serbian Folk Dancing.  They also received a nomination from the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce Vision Awards 2014 in the Arts and Culture category.

Please RSVP to Janna at 416-461-8903 by Friday September 9 to register for childcare

A huge Thank You to the sponsors, donors and all who supported and participated in this event! 

Here are women’s quotes from the Gardening program on Saturday, May 21, 2016. Some women did not write their names.

Woman one.

It was my first experience gardening and I learned so much on Saturday. The staff, Bernadette, and Angie were great teaching me. I will like to do it again and I’m sure I will plant flowers at my new place.

Woman two:

1. We love your program
2. I will wish we have more of these programs
3. I like group program.

We love you, Thank You.

Woman Three

A delectable & delicious day! Yummy.

Woman Four

Making New friend, planting flowers, nice to be part of Nellie’s Family.

Woman Five

I enjoyed myself; I need more of the program.

Woman Six

This is my first time to spend Saturday at Nellie’s Shelter as I usually head to the church, eventually I stayed in for some physiological reasons. ………….I was invited to help in the garden and honestly, it was awesomely great —- an experience and also quite getting to collaborate with my fellow roommates. Enjoyed the event as it save me some of my loneliness. But the best part the meal was fantastic which never fail to amaze my choosy palate. Thanks so much, I look forward for these fabulous programs.

Woman seven

On Saturday, we had a wonderful day. It was a great experience doing planting with all the women. It was so nice and relaxing doing planting as a team and having fun together. I would like to thank Marlene and Jamuna for allowing it to happen and also thanks to Angie and her friends for donating the flowers to us.   Big thanks to Bernadette for participating with us and buying the snacks. Bless you all and all the best to all of you. 

“The gap between the poorest and the wealthiest around the world is wide and growing. … We must do more to empower individuals through decent work, support people through social protection, and ensure the voices of the poor and marginalised are heard.”

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon
Message for the 2014 World Day of Social Justice ⁽¹⁾

“Social justice is an underlying principle for peaceful and prosperous coexistence within and among nations. We uphold the principles of social justice when we promote gender equality or the rights of indigenous peoples and migrants”. ^(2).

In late 2013, the Commissioner of the RCMP initiated an RCMP-led study of reported incidents of missing and murdered Aboriginal women across all police jurisdictions in Canada. Police-recorded incidents of Aboriginal female homicides and unresolved missing Aboriginal females in this review total 1,181 – 164 missing and 1,017 homicide victims.

There are 225 unsolved cases of either missing or murdered Aboriginal females:105 missing for more than 30 days as of November 4, 2013, whose cause of disappearance was categorized at the time as “unknown” or “foul play suspected” and 120 unsolved homicides between 1980 and 2012.The total indicates that Aboriginal women are over-represented among Canada’s murdered and missing women. ⁽³⁾

A report released on January 12, 2015 by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights adds further weight to calls for a comprehensive national response to violence against Indigenous women and girls, including an independent public inquiry. ⁽⁴⁾

According to a Committee Report on the Root Causes of Violence and Violence Prevention by the Parliament of Canada “The high levels of poverty and lack of housing limit the options available to women experiencing violence. Women are sometimes forced to stay with an abusive partner because they have nowhere else to go. “

The Committee has heard that those who leave their communities, or leave an abusive household sometimes find themselves homeless, or forced into the sex trade.

Additionally, as a result of their collective experience with the residential school system, there is a high level of distrust between Aboriginal people and services such as the child welfare system and police forces. As a result, Aboriginal women and girls may not benefit from the level of prevention services which would be warranted by their high level of vulnerability to violence.

The findings of the Committee are consistent with other documented findings related to the way that systems and services are failing Aboriginal women and girls and making them more vulnerable to violence. ⁽⁵⁾

The report released on January 12, 2015 by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights further states that a “failure to act with due diligence with respect to cases of violence against women is a form of discrimination. The lack of due diligence in cases of violence against indigenous women is especially grave as it affects not only the victims, but also their families and the communities to which they belong.”

The report urges governments in Canada to deal with “the persistence of longstanding social and economic marginalization through effective measures to combat poverty, improve education and employment, guarantee adequate housing and address the disproportionate application of criminal law against indigenous people.”

The Commission is also critical of governments in Canada for failing to adequately involve Indigenous women and Indigenous women’s organizations in developing solutions to the human rights violations that they face. ⁽⁴⁾

An article in the Toronto Star on Wednesday February 15, 2015 reports that : ”The Conservative government has resisted calls for a national public inquiry, but last fall put forward a $25-million action plan on violence against aboriginal women and girls. ⁽⁶⁾

According to the United Nations article on World Day of Social Justice, “We advance social justice when we remove barriers that people face because of gender, age, race, ethnicity, religion, culture or disability.

Observance of World Day of Social Justice should support efforts of the international community in poverty eradication, the promotion of full employment and decent work, gender equity and access to social well-being and justice for all.” ⁽¹⁾

Reference Sources:

⁽¹⁾  Secretary-General’s Message for 2014 http://www.un.org/en/events/socialjusticeday/2014/sgmessage.shtml

⁽²⁾  World Day of Social Justice http://www.un.org/en/events/socialjusticeday/

⁽³⁾ Missing & murdered Aboriginal Women: A National Operational Overview
http://www.rcmp-grc.gc.ca/pubs/mmaw-faapd-eng.pdf

⁽⁴⁾ Regional human rights body condemns Canada’s failure to address crisis of missing and murdered Indigenous women
http://www.amnesty.ca/news/public-statements/regional-human-rights-body-condemns-canada%E2%80%99s-failure-to-address-crisis-of

⁽⁵⁾ Parliament of Canada, Committee Report, Chapter Three: Root Causes of Violence and Violence Prevention
http://www.parl.gc.ca/HousePublications/Publication.aspx?DocId=6469851&File=48#6

⁽⁶⁾ Toronto Star Article, Wed Feb 15,2015: Activists hope international group’s report will lead to action on aboriginal women
http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2015/01/12/advocates_hope_report_into_missing_and_murdered_aboriginal_women_will_pressure_ottawa_into_action.html

We are worthwhile

We deserve the best

We are beautiful people

We are loveable

We are all miracles

(from a Nellie’s supporter)