Launching New Name and ID…come join us

With the recent unification of Women's Community House and Sexual Assault Centre London, our agencies have been a hive of activity as we lead up to the public launch of our new name and identity on Friday, March 31st.  You are welcome to join us for this exciting event at 11 a.m. in the Labatt Lounge  Covent Garden, London, Ontario. The following communication from the co-chairs of the unified Board of Directors, Jenn Noel and Shannon Wilson, was released to our donors mid-March which includes valuable information not only for donor but for the general public, as well. Dear Valued Donor, Women's Community House is tremendously grateful for your support. With your help, our doors have been open around the clock for over 39 years. Thanks to your generous heart, over 28,000 women and children have received over 686,119 care days of emergency and short-term shelter which included over 2,135,337 home-cooked meals and all their basic needs have been met free of charge. Your gifts have helped over 125,847 callers receive lifesaving counseling through our helpline, and your gifts gave over 1,176 families a fresh new start at Second Stage Housing. After two and a half years of board dialogue plus positive feedback from community partners, stakeholders and focus groups, WOMEN'S COMMUNITY HOUSE and SEXUAL ASSAULT CENTRE LONDON have decided to unify our services. Our combined strengths will provide improved services to our community:

• increased accessibility and less confusion about where to go for help
• streamlined services for people who experience woman abuse or sexual violence
• more service options at each of our four sites and faster service
• improved services for children impacted by woman abuse and sexual violence
• enhanced sexual violence prevention work and education for youth
• integrated 24-hour helpline able to counsel both woman abuse and sexual violence callers.

We will, of course, continue to provide emergency and short-term shelter for abused women and their children. Our shelter programs for children will carry on, as will Second Stage Housing. Also, our Transitional Outreach and Family Court Support programs will remain. We are very excited about our new direction to create a better future without violence for those we serve and trust you will be, too. Please join us on March 31, 2017 at 11 am in the Labatt Lounge Covent Garden for the launch of our new identity and name. Thank you, once again, for your generosity and, even more, your trust. OUR VISION An inclusive world of shared power where everyone lives freely without fear of violence. OUR MISSION Creating communities of safe spaces filled with compassion, healing, renewal, hope and resilience... we advocate for social and political change.