YWCA Hamilton taking over some programs from Elizabeth Fry Society
Some of the programs offered to at-risk women through the local Elizabeth Fry Society branch are being taken over by YWCA Hamilton following news of the former organization's closure.
Following the surprising announcement by the Elizabeth Fry Society Southern Ontario board on March 20, the organization and the Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services reached out to the local YWCA about taking over some programs.
YWCA Hamilton CEO Medora Uppal said the request made sense immediately," given the organization's long history, including work with many of the same women.
Uppal said Elizabeth Fry has done great work in the community and it was important to carry on programs.
We know the need and the vulnerability and how important the programs are," she said, later adding that YWCA Hamilton is a good fit."
So far YWCA has confirmed it will take over gender-based violence counselling and the drop-in program.
Uppal said the YWCA is also working to confirm funding for two other former Elizabeth Fry services: court support and jail visit programs.
The transition is a work in progress, with the YWCA still sorting out funding, how programs will be delivered and whether it will need to hire additional staff. Elizabeth Fry programs were funded through a number of different organizations and also private donors.
The Ministry of the Solicitor General, which funded Elizabeth Fry's community service order (CSO) program - offering community-based sentencing options, such as community service, for adult offenders - has already said funding for that program has gone to the John Howard Society of Niagara. The ministry put out a call for applications last year, with the aim of expanding the program's geographic reach. John Howard was the successful applicant.
Elizabeth Fry is a charitable organization that has existed in Hamilton for 52 years, offering a variety of programs to help women navigate the justice system, including counselling, domestic violence support and work inside jails. There are more than 20 branches of the organization across the country.
The board has offered little information about its decision to close, other than a brief social media statement about making the very difficult decision" to cease operations on March 31, 2023 due to concerns about the ongoing viability of the organization."
The Spectator has spoken to many volunteers and others tied to the organization who questioned the abrupt closure. The loss of funding for the CSO program had a huge impact, but funding for other programs remained. It is these programs that YWCA is working to take over.
The decision comes at a time when a number of community organizations are financially strained, leading to layoffs and closures, such as the closure of Catholic Family Services.
Uppal said she knows it is hard for boards to make that kind of decision.
I'm just glad we can keep services," she said.
This may also be an opportunity to look at what service were being delivered and what needs Elizabeth Fry was seeing, and see if there is an opportunity to expand.
Uppal said clients are welcome to reach out to YWCA Hamilton if they have questions about services. For more information, call YWCA Hamilton at 905-522-9922 or visit 75 MacNab St. S.
Nicole O'Reilly is a crime and justice reporter at The Spectator. noreilly@thespec.com