Your Impact in North Perth

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 North Perth and area have the chance for a brighter future including…

• 160 people received counselling
• 157 calls to 211 to discover and connect with local services
• 14 children matched with mentors
• 8 people in crisis accessed financial support
• 5 youth accessed housing and supports
• 3 youth received early-intervention counselling to avoid a crisis

#UNIGNORABLE Local Issues

Lack of Housing: Average single bedroom rental is $1,594/mo. 148 households experiencing homelessness in Stratford-St. Marys-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 1 year.

 Food Insecurity: 1 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.

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.

Supporting Local Youth, Adults and Seniors

Mental health and well-being are critical and the North Perth community has demonstrated a commitment to United Way supported programs and services that help improve the mental health of local people in their time of need.

The Youth Counselling, Supports and Mentoring program provides early intervention service for youth and their families, aiming to reduce demand for more serious interventions by improving coping skills and general well-being.

United Way is also committed to funding counselling programs for other individuals and their families to help ensure vulnerable people get the support they need to face life’s challenges.

People like Avery…

“I was born with a developmental disability that affects 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 fit 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 people like 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.”

Urgent Needs Fund

8 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 if something like this were to happen:

“All my life I’ve dealt with chronic illness and it finally got so bad my doctor told me I needed to stop my job and try to get healthy again.

“My husband kept working, but it’s tough on our family coping with the pandemic and having only one income. Our budget got tighter each month and our savings quickly disappeared. Then our daughter got sick and needed medication that wasn’t covered by my husband’s employer. With bills coming due, we didn’t know where to turn.

“Luckily, I found out about United Way’s Urgent Needs Fund. I applied and we got enough money to cover the pharmacy bill.”

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.

North Perth Community Committee

–>United Way Perth-Huron Manager Community Development, North Perth: Todd Kasenberg

Supported Partners

Want to read more?

North Perth Impact Brochure (PDF)