Your Impact in Huron East

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 Huron East have the chance for a brighter future including…

• 19 youth supported with financial assistance for extracurricular activities
• 8 newcomers supported with service access navigation
• 4 local food bank agencies supplied
• 4 women and children escaping violence supported and sheltered
• 3 youth received shelter supports
• 2 people supported by the Huron Housing Stability Worker

#UNIGNORABLE Local Issues

Lack of Housing: 111 people are experiencing homelessness in Huron. The local average rent for a one-bedroom unit is $1,420/month.

 Low Income: About half of people with incomes in Perth-Huron earn less than a living wage ($41,405 annually).

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

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

 Intimate Partner Violence: 1,729 intimate partner violence crisis calls from across Huron were received by shelter services in Goderich in one year.

 Food Insecurity: 1 in 4 Ontario children lives in a household struggling to put food on the table.

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, Maranda has the support she needs:

Maranda’s life was shattered after barely escaping extreme physical and sexual violence, harassment, stalking, and intimidation. The Huron Women’s Shelter saved her life by helping her escape and provided emergency shelter far from her violent partner. Staff worked tirelessly to advocate for her, and connected Maranda with the resources she needed to start healing.

Now, Maranda is doing better. She has moved on from the Shelter but still calls for support when she needs it and visits regularly to catch up with staff. For the first time in years, Maranda feels safe and hopeful for the future.

So does Hannah:

“After years of conflict and abuse from my mother, I left home at the age of 17. Before I left, I contacted Huron Safe Homes for Youth through the guidance department at my high school. My caseworker assigned to me immediately found a home to host me, and the couple that opened their home was so supportive and worked closely with me and my caseworker to plan out my options and what I wanted to do.
“Even after, when I was no longer living directly within the Safe Homes for Youth organization, my caseworker continued to help. With the organization’s support I found an apartment, created a successful budget, and finished high school. Through it all, Safe Homes would contact me now and again to see how I was doing, and when I began to apply for post secondary education they were there again to help me figure out my options.

“Because of the solid foundation Safe Homes helped me build, I graduated with honours from a Registered Nursing program, and I have successfully passed the RN registration exam and am now employed as a Registered Nurse. 

“It’s possible I could have achieved all of this without the help of Safe Homes for Youth, but the journey has been much easier thanks to their constant support. While I don’t fondly remember the situation that brought me to Safe Homes, I don’t regret my time there. It has helped me get where I am today, and I will always be grateful.” 

United Housing

United Housing is Perth-Huron’s first non-profit housing organization dedicated to developing, building, and managing mixed-income 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.

Seaforth Nourish Equal Access Food Market

The effects of food insecurity go well beyond families worrying about not being able to afford healthy food.

Food insecurity is linked to learning difficulties, obesity, reduced productivity for kids at school, and poorer mental health. Numbers from Huron Perth Public Health indicate that almost 15% of area residents are food insecure (2020).

Planned for Seaforth, an equal access food market will help mitigate the effects of poverty. This type of market offers wholesale prices on nutritious, local fresh vegetables, fruits, and meat to residents facing food insecurity. People can buy what they need, whether that’s a single item or larger quantities. Equal access markets provide a dignified and welcoming shopping experience for all members of the community.

Urgent Needs Fund

12 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:

Sam and Kate’s daughter needed emergency treatment in London. At first, everything was okay. Kate’s employers both said she could return to work when her daughter felt better and Sam was sure they could get by, but it was tough living on one wage. The savings they scraped together disappeared quickly and Sam and Kate knew they would have to start making tough choices about paying the for utilities or buying healthy food. Then the family car broke down. Sam and Kate weren’t sure where to turn for help until they heard about the Urgent Needs Fund.

Meeting Needs

Housing Advocate to find housing & provide ongoing support

  Prevention and support services for youth & women

  Three new beds for Huron Turning Point transition home for men

Emergency shelter during cold months

84 individuals used the “Out of the Cold” program and/or were supported by the Huron County Housing Stability Worker in 2022

Huron East Community Committee

–> United Way Perth-Huron Manager Community Development, Huron East: Lisa Harper

Supported Partners in Huron East

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