Crabtree Corner: YWCA Greater Vancouver

WHO

YWCA Metro Vancouver’s mission is to touch lives and build better futures for women and their families through advocacy, and integrated services that foster economic independence, wellness and equal opportunities. YWCA Crabtree Corner is one of the few places where new mothers can find safe, affordable and supportive housing as well as continuum of supports in the Downtown Eastside.

WHAT

Through Financial Literacy and Peer Mentorship Program, new mothers at Crabtree Housing are connected with peers regularly to identify their priorities and set a course for a better future. The women are supported by those who have been on similar journeys and can relate, as no one else, to the ups and downs of being a new parent while at the same time working on their own recovery.

WHY

The average single mother living at YWCA Crabtree Housing in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside struggles to support her family on an annual income of less than $10,000. The Financial Literacy and Peer Mentoring Program offers stepping stones for women that are critical on their road to personal and economic independence. The resilience and dedication of these women is incredible and they embrace these tools as a means of moving toward a better life for themselves and their children.

WILD CARD

Conconi Family Foundation was the seed funder for this program and therefore we have worked with the YWCA staff to develop additional funding opportunities to sustain the Peer Mentorship and Financial Literacy Program. Based on an escape room format, a team-building game was developed to engage supporters in the work of the YWCA and raise awareness on the issues that women living at Crabtree Housing face.