Yellow Brick House- 37th year
Lorris Herenda
Executive Director
905-709-0900 ext. 2224
lorrish@yellowbrickhouse.org
www.yellowbrickhouse.org
YBH Mandate
Yellow Brick House is a not for profit organization
providing programs and services to abused women
and children
What is abuse: Any behaviour or action that is used
to scare, harm, threaten, control, intimidate or
injure another person
What are our values?
• Feminist organization
• Commitment to and involvement with the anti-violence
movement
• Anti-oppression/anti-racism principles
• Empowerment and choice.
• Diversity, equity, and inclusivity
• Respect for the abilities, opinions,
and needs
• Confidentiality and safety
• Integrity and compassion
Types of Abuse
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Psychological/Verbal
Financial/Economic
Sexual
Spiritual
Physical
Types of Abuse
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Psychological/Verbal
Financial/Economic
Sexual
Spiritual
Physical
Stats in Canada
• 51% of Canadian Women have at one point in
their life been abused.
• Currently, 25 % of Canadian Women are living in
abusive home with their children.
• 1 in 3 women worldwide are being abused
• 1 in 5 children are sexually abused
• Currently half a million children are living in
abusive homes witnessing their mothers being
beaten
What are the consequences of
abuse?
1. Consequences to our society
• $ 7.3 billon spent a year
• Health-related costs alone cost more than
$ 2 billion per year
2. Consequences of abuse on women
• 2 women are killed every week in Canada
• A woman is killed every 12 days in Ontario
• 50% Women living in violent homes suffer PTSD
(post traumatic stress syndrome)
• Lost days at work due to physical injuries and
psychological impact
• 40% of physical abuse starts during pregnancy
resulting in health issues for the unborn child
3. Consequences of abuse on children
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Getting killed or permanently disabled; high
mortality rate
60% of children that witness their moms
being abused suffer from PTSD: emotional
trauma, depression,
Criminality- 74% greater chance of
committing crimes against a person
Risk of being in an abusive relationship
later in life or turning into abusers
Children who witness domestic violence are
at a risk of sustaining brain injury due to a
high level of stress hormone that exist
persistently in their system.
The children in fact become the primary
911 callers to protect their mom’s and
siblings.
YBH: 4 Core Programs
1. Two 24 hours Emergency Shelters & crisis
phone
2. Second Stage Housing Program- Reta’s Place
3. Outreach Counseling Services
4. Public Education
A Virtual Tour of our Shelters
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Location is confidential
Staffed 24x7
Security cameras surround the exterior
Bullet-proof windows
Alarm system respond to sound, forced
entry, breakage
1. Emergency Shelter Services – Aurora:
• 24/7 safe shelter to abused women
and children (25 beds, 7 cribs in 7
bdrms)
• Crisis counselling, safety plans,
health, legal, immigration,
financial, housing, and
employment issues
Aurora -The Intake office
Intake office and crisis phones 24 hours Crisis Line:
The Family Room
Resource Room
The women have access to counsellors
speaking 36 different languages as well
as a variety of resources in many
languages
The Kitchen
• Women share cooking and cleaning chores
Support Groups
• The women have the opportunity to share their
experiences and strength during weekly support groups
The Bedrooms
• Some women say they cannot remember when they
slept so well before – they truly feel at peace.
• Average length of stay – 2-3 months
The Children’s Area
• Our Children’s Recreation & Advocacy Worker as well as Art
Therapist work with the children, provide respite care, support with
CAS, subsidized day care, school enrollment
Emergency shelter - Markham
• 16 beds, 3 cribs in a 5 bedroom home
• Crisis counselling & safety plans
• Support with legal, immigration, financial, housing,
and employment issues
• 24 hours crisis phone line
Group room
Markham -continued
• Living Room
Resource Room
Markham -continued
• Kitchen
Solarium
Markham -continued
• Children’s playroom
Teen area
Leaving YBH
• When women are ready to re-integrate into the
community, we ensure they feel ready and secure
through our ongoing counselling and support
2. Second Stage Housing - Reta’s Place
• Eight-unit, 2nd stage apartment building that
houses women & children that leave our
shelter
• Provides the family with an opportunity to live
independently while paying below market
rent. A woman with 1 child may get from
$980- $1150 a month for rent, food, clothing.
We charge $526. The stay is up to six
months
3. Outreach Services:
1. Counseling Services Women & Children plus
Legal Support (immigration/family law/
criminal law), legal clinics
2. Transitional Housing Workers
3. Women’s Group Support “When Love Hurts”
4. Child Witness support groups “Let’s Talk” and
Mother’s in Mind
5. Child Counselling
1. Counselling and Legal Supports Program-
• Focus is on women who may still be living in abusive
relationships
• Focus is on safety planning, legal and court support,
short and long term individual counselling
• Organize 12-16 free legal clinics a year.
• A counsellor situated at the Newmarket courthouse
and the FLIC office
2. Transitional Housing Support Counselling:
• Focus on women who have left the abusive
relationship
• They assist women to build stable lives by helping
them establish a network of supports, find and
maintain housing, financial literacy
• Advocacy with third parties (landlords, CAS, court
appearances, children programs)
• Life Skills, budgeting, employment, education
• Connect and accompany women to community
support agencies and resources.
3. Woman Group Support – “When Love Hurts”
• The groups are psycho-educational and provide
women with information about abuse and its effects.
• Teach them about cycle of abuse
• Assertiveness skills
• Anger management
• How to identify risk signs
4. Child Witness Groups: “Let’s Talk”
• This early intervention program is designed to help
children ages 4- 15 recover from witnessing abuse in their
homes.
• Children talk about their experiences and receive support
from other children and the group facilitators.
• Mothers are offered group at concurred time with children
to help them understand the effect of abuse on their
children.
• Groups run 10 weeks in length, one night a week
5. Child Counselling:
• The children receive 1:1 counselling to help them deal with
effects of abuse and to assist them in adapting to the
changes in their family structure.
• The counsellors accommodate the family by meeting the
children at school, at home or anywhere in the community.
• The program is designed to target children at risk of
becoming involved with the system due to lack of
resolution/assistance with their issues.
4. Public Education
 Workshops focusing on domestic violence and
healthy dating relationships
 Presentations to elementary and high school
students
 Trainings for Educators (Humber College)
 Presentations to community and corporate groups
• Past funders:
 Status of Women Canada: Seneca College 4
campuses
 Trillium
 Canadian Women foundation
 Region: financial literacy and social inclusion with
South Asian girls and young women
Funding &
Accountability
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MCSS – just over $2M
MCYS – $133,000
MAG – $81,000
United Way – $120,000
Budgeted for 2015-16
• Fee for service: $25,000
• Fundraising goal for 2015/16: $1.3M
Auditor General Finding 3/12
2011/12, Ministry-approved annual
funding for 10-bed emergency shelters
ranged from $334,000 to $624,000.
Consequently, the per-day cost of care at
emergency shelters ranged from $90 to
$575.
YBH gets $115 per day per bed for 25
beds. 16 beds are not funded.
Auditor General Finding 11/12
• Funding for a target of 1,200 direct hours of transitional
and housing support services (1 FTE) ranged from
$67,000 to $141,000 per agency.
• Our funding is $71,500 per FTE and our cost is
$114,100
• Our funding per women served is $665 and our cost is
$1062
• Funding per shelter bed: Provincial median $39,500
with the range between $26,400–$63,200
• YBH is funded for 25 beds at 42,290/bed. Our cost is
$43,240/ 41 beds.
Auditor General Finding 12/12
Provincial Variations
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Median ($)
Agencies ($)
Counselling Services :
Cost per person
$630
$ 20–3,500
YBH funded $558/woman and our cost $761/woman served
Cost of hour of service :
$84
$ 20–520
YBH funded for $ 93/hr and our cost is $ 128/hr of service
• Transitional and Housing Support Program
• Cost per person
$730
$90–6,800
YBH funded for $665/woman and our cost is $1060/woman served
Reality
• In 2014-2015, although we served almost 6200 women
and children, we could still not accommodate 124 women
and 144 children could not get a shelter bed.
• High percentage of women in the shelters are dealing
with complexities of mental health and addictions in
addition to effects of violence – the stays are longer as the
issues are greater.
• MCSS has introduced new shelter standards removing
the length of time stay.
Thank you
Lorris Herenda
Executive Director
905-709-0900 ext. 2224
lorrish@yellowbrickhouse.org
www.yellowbrickhouse.org