While the COVID-19 pandemic is unprecedented, for women and their children living with abuse, it is similar in some ways to when natural disasters occur—because when uncertainty, anxiety and instability rises, so does domestic violence. In this situation, external stressors, such as job losses and financial stress, and the practices of social distancing and self-isolation can all make an abusive situation worse and hamper a woman’s attempt to get help.

At Nellie’s shelter, help is still there for those who need it. While most of our community programs have been suspended (our transitional housing workers are still providing virtual and/or telephone support to the women in our community), we continue to welcome women and their children impacted by abuse, trauma and homelessness into our shelter.

We are working hard to follow the guidelines and recommendations set out by all levels of government and health officials to minimize the risk of transmission and keep the women and children living at Nellie’s safe. We have also taken prudent steps to ensure the safety of our dedicated staff who continue to work in support of our residents every day. Like many other essential programs and services in Toronto and across the country, we have stepped up our daily cleaning and disinfection measures, have made hand sanitizer readily available for everyone and encourage regular and thorough hand washing. Staff who are feeling sick in any way are asked to stay home.

Just as importantly though, we continue to create positive spaces for the women in our shelter through our programs and workshops that offer therapeutic healing, personal growth and distraction during this challenging and stressful time.

We have also increased our children’s programming. There are currently a number of children living at Nellie’s who have been affected by the school closures and we are working hard to help them understand the situation while keeping them engaged, motivated to learn new skills and focused on the school work assigned by their teachers.

I, along with our board members, under the leadership of Sherece Taffe and Donna Kellway, greatly appreciate the community support and donations that have poured in during this unprecedented and challenging time. Your generosity during these past few weeks has been vital in ensuring that we can sustain our efforts and continue to help those most in need. Thank you.

And we will continue to need your help now more than ever. To make a secure online donation, please visit our donation page. Or, you can make an even bigger impact by becoming a monthly donor. As a regular monthly supporter, your generosity provides critical and consistent funding towards our daily efforts to help women and their children impacted by abuse, trauma and homelessness. Automatic monthly payments are easy to set up, convenient, and create a lasting impact on the lives of women and their children at Nellie’s.

We wish everyone in our community a continued abundance of health. Stay safe!

Jyoti Singh
Executive Director