Your Impact in Northern Huron

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 Northern Huron (including North Huron, Howick and Morris-Turnberry) have the chance for a brighter future including…

• 859 visits made to the Northern Huron Connection Centre
• 227 contacts made to 211 for support accessing services
• 20 payments to households to support access to basic needs
• 12 children got financial help to participate in extracurriculars
• 5 young people receiving housing stability support

Pressing Local Issues

Housing Stability: 151 households are experiencing homelessness in Huron County.

 Poverty Reduction: 19.8% of households in Huron-Perth experience food insecurity.

 Mental Health & Well-Being: 1 in 3 Canadians will experience a mental health issue in their lifetime.

 Access to Services: Small communities in Huron-Perth have limited access to social and health services.

 Healthy Relationships: 1,372 IPV crisis calls received by shelter services in Huron.

 Equity Supports: 69% of immigrants and visible minorities and 81% of Indigenous people in 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.

Changing Local Lives

Thanks to United Way and a supported partner, Laura has the support he needs:

When Laura first connected with the North Huron Connection Centre, she was overwhelmed with stress. Faced with mounting debts and threatened eviction, Laura felt like she was failing herself and her daughter, even though she worked hard and earned everything she had.

As a young mother, she was doing everything she could to support her daughter, but the pressure of making ends meet never let up. Laura hadn’t filed her taxes for years—she simply couldn’t afford the help. But each missed year meant lost benefits and mounting stress, even as she tried desperately to keep her head above water.

At the Connection Centre, Laura was introduced to the volunteer tax program. With guidance and care, her returns were filed, and the results changed everything. Laura was eligible for more than $76,000 in credits and refunds.

For the first time in years, she could breathe.

That support allowed Laura to pay off debt and begin to rebuild her life with a sense of stability. Now, instead of constant worry, there is a new, hopeful path forward. Laura and her daughter are preparing to move into a safe, new apartment, one that offers more than just shelter, but the promise of a fresh start.

Northern Huron Connection Centre (operated by CMHA Huron Perth)

Partly as a result of rising housing costs, homelessness is growing. In an effort to tackle this pressing issue in Northern Huron, a drop-in space for those experiencing homelessness or otherwise vulnerable is opening soon in Wingham.

The Northern Huron Connection Centre is a welcoming, safe space for the community’s most vulnerable citizens to rest, access basic needs, healthcare services, identification assistance and more. Partnerships with agencies — including CMHA Huron Perth, the organization operating the Centre — mean those using the Connection Centre can access important services and supports under one roof.

The Northern Huron Connection Centre:

1. Meets 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.
2. Builds social ties. Build trust with service providers and volunteers, leading to opportunities for more formal supports.
3. Connects participants to social services. Volunteers and staff can help clients navigate entry into formal support with existing agencies.
4. Builds pathways out of poverty that provide dignity and choice, empowering clients.

• 72 unique individuals accessed services last year
• 859 total visits to the Northern Huron Connection Centre        

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 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

20 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:

It was only Cassie and her two children. Cassie worked part-time but got a lot of hours, so she was just able to cover her family’s expenses. Cassie knew she should have a financial buffer, but everything she earned went to the necessities.

One morning Cassie felt a dull throbbing in her jaw that slowly increased to a blinding pain. She was able to get off work early, but Cassie knew she was going to miss three hours pay. The bigger dilemma was money for a dentist; she didn’t have any and couldn’t afford to keep missing work. Cassie burst into tears. She wasn’t sure where to turn for help until she heard about the Urgent Needs Fund.

Changing Local Lives

Thanks to a United Way supported partner, Connie has the support he needs:

Connie did everything she could to keep life normal for her two young children. In public, she was a devoted mother focused on school schedules, meals and daily routines. Behind closed doors, however, she was carrying a much heavier burden. As she worked to protect her family from the impacts of intimate partner violence, Connie faced ongoing safety concerns, difficult legal challenges and the constant fear that tomorrow might bring another crisis. The weight of keeping her children safe while holding life together often felt overwhelming.

When Connie reached out for help, a United Way supported partner was a lifeline. Through emergency shelter and more, she found support, guidance and a path forward. Step by step, Connie began rebuilding a sense of safety and stability for herself and her children. Today, she faces the future with greater confidence, knowing that she does not have to navigate these challenges alone and that a caring community stands beside her.

Northern Huron Community Committee

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

Supported Partners

Want to read more?

Huron County Impact Brochure (PDF)