Stratford & Area

Together we improve lives through support for basic needs, service connection, advocacy, research and cultivating innovative initiatives.

United Way Perth-Huron helps here in the community you care about. Thanks to United Way, its partners and donors, vulnerable people in Stratford and area have the chance for a brighter future including…

• 280 participants in food skills programming
• 143 men accessed Institutional Visiting and Reintegration Support services
• 103 people in crisis accessed financial support
• 74 Newcomers supported
• 54 children who witnessed violence counselled 
• 41 at-risk youth accessed housing and supports

#UNIGNORABLE Local Issues

Lack of Housing: Average asking rent for a one-bedroom rental is almost $1,600/mo. 148 households experiencing homelessness in Stratford, St. Marys and Perth County.

 Low Income: Around 9% of people in Perth County live in low-income households, including 735 children.

 Mental Health: Use of an emergency department for psychiatric reasons is two times higher in rural vs. urban Ontario.

 Access to Services: Navigating the local social service network is challenging, especially for our most vulnerable.

 Intimate Partner Violence: 4,779 intimate partner violence crisis calls were received by shelter services in Stratford-Perth-St. Marys in one year.

 Food Insecurity: 1 in 3 Ontario children live in a household struggling to put food on the table.

 Discrimination: 69% of immigrants and visible minorities and 81% of Indigenous people in Perth-Huron reported experiencing discrimination, compared to 49% of white non-immigrants.

Holistic Approach

United Way is committed to cultivating innovative initiatives addressing root causes of local social issues. We research and advocate for a living wage, affordable housing and improved social assistance rates and services.

We also understand that long-term goals don’t solve the challenges of a person facing eviction next week, or the parent with empty cupboards and hungry children right now. To that end, we also fundraise and invest in programs to help ensure people get the immediate help they need.

Changing Local Lives

Thanks to United Way and a supported partner, Avery has the support she needs:

“I was born with a developmental disability that aects my ability to communicate and navigate social situations. Growing up, I always felt like I was on the outside.
“My parents did everything they could to try to help, but I still felt very alone.
”I wanted so badly to t in.
“I was relieved when I met my therapist, who shared they worked with other individuals who struggled in similar ways. It showed me I wasn’t alone, and that there are some people who really do care.
”Slowly but surely, I began to develop confidence. I started making friends at school and participating in robotics club.
“Thanks to the help from this United Way supported program, I began to feel proud of who I am. I’d like to attend College after high school, and for the first time, it feels possible.”

And so does Marg:

“Things weren’t going well.
”I moved to be closer to my daughter, but then she moved as well, leaving me behind in a community I didn’t know. I felt alone and in a very dark place.
“I started counselling to deal with my grief, isolation and depression: feelings I’ve wrestled with for years. My first suicide attempt was at age nine, and I’ve tried many times since.
“My family disowned me as a teenager after I told them my older brother abused me. I never dealt with that pain and lived alone for a long time, often working multiple jobs to survive. I’m recovering from substance use and was in an abusive relationship that left me with PTSD and a brain
injury.
“Counselling has helped me understand the impact of trauma on my life and how to move forward. I’ve found strength in telling my truth and breaking cycles I’ve been stuck in for years.
“I’m so grateful to United Way supported counselling for providing me with a safe place to share my story and find hope again.”

Stratford Connection Centre (operated by CMHA Huron Perth)

In an effort to tackle the pressing issue of chronic homelessness in Stratford, a drop-in space opened for those experiencing homelessness or otherwise vulnerable. 

The Stratford Connection Centre offers wrap-around supports including trauma-informed care, substance use and mental health counselling, as well as basic needs such as showers, laundry and food. Services are client-centred, providing dignity and choice with an unrelenting focus on securing permanent housing.

Goals

Meet basic needs. A place to use a washroom and shower. Have a cup of coffee with access to clean water, and/or an indoor space out of the cold or heat.

Build social ties. Build trust with service providers and volunteers, leading to opportunities for more formal supports.

Connect to social services. Volunteers and staff can help clients navigate entry into formal support with existing agencies.

Build pathways out of poverty that provide dignity and choice, empowering clients.

• 101 unique individuals accessed services last year
• 5,188 total visits to the Stratford Connection Centre
• 27 people housed

United Housing

United Housing is Perth-Huron’s first non-profit housing organization dedicated to developing, building, and managing mixed use rental housing in the community. The initiative’s goal is to support and build on existing work being done by the City of Stratford and the County of Huron, further increasing the amount of available housing stock. It’s a local solution to the very real issue of housing affordability we face across the region. GO HERE for more information.

Urgent Needs Fund

103 local residents accessed assistance

The Urgent Needs Fund is designed to support local residents in a time of crisis with funds for essentials such as rent, groceries, car repairs, medication and child care. United Way is also working for long-term change, lifting people beyond poverty while still ensuring their immediate, basic needs are met:

Daima was struggling to pay the utility bill AND buy groceries for her family. The Urgent Needs Fund provided support so she didn’t have to choose between keeping the heat on and buying food for her children.

Stratford & Area Community Committee

–> United Way Perth-Huron Manager Community Development, Stratford & Area: Debbie Colclough

Supported Partners

Want to read more?

View our United For Good 2024-25 Impact Report.