Your Impact in Southern 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 Southern Huron have the chance for a brighter future including…

• 128 people called 211 or visited 211ontario.ca to connect with services
• 35 people received financial assistance in a time of pressing need
• 5 women escaping violence sheltered
• 142 crisis calls from women facing intimate partner violence answered 
• 5 youth accessed housing and supports
• 6 men accessed transitional housing

#UNIGNORABLE Local Issues

Lack of Housing: A single bedroom rental is over $1,200/mo. 103 people are experiencing homelessness in Huron County.

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

 Mental Health: By the time Canadians reach the age of 40, 1 in 2 have experienced a mental illness.

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

 Intimate Partner Violence: In Huron County, police received 423 calls related to intimate partner violence 2022.

 Food Insecurity: 1 in 6 Canadian children live in a food insecure household. 

 Discrimination: 69% of immigrants and visible minorities and 80% 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.

Changing Local Lives

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

Delbert’s life was spiraling. He’d been living rough for a while and struggled with addiction issues. After connecting with supports, he found a shared motel space to give him more stability before finally moving into the Turning Point transition home, while a supported partner program worked to connect Delbert with the supports he needed to make positive changes in his life.

Now, Delbert is doing better. With the help of a counsellor, he is working on an addiction recovery plan so he can remain sober, while also working with the H2H team to find permanent, affordable, and supportive housing. 

Southern Huron Connection Centre

United Way’s Southern Huron Connection Centre is a welcoming place offering basic needs such as light meals, a shower, washroom and laundry facilities. Partnerships with numerous agencies offering support to local people in need mean those using the centre can access important services and supports under one roof.

Over the next three years, a community garden, collective kitchen programs and early years programming will be added, breaking down barriers and developing relationships between community members.

26 unique individuals accessed the Southern 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 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

31 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 in case something like this were to happen:

Gwen lived with her young grandchildren in a small apartment. Her modest income was just enough to keep them housed, fed and clothed. Then the letter came stating the building was being sold and she had four weeks to move.

A million thoughts went through Gwen’s head; finding an affordable new place, the cost of moving, the deposits—all unexpected and unwelcome expenses when she was just getting by. Gwen wasn’t sure where to turn for help until she heard about the Urgent Needs Fund. 

Eliminate Chronic Homelessness

Homelessness isn’t just about sleeping on the streets. A person may be in a temporary shelter, incarcerated without a place to go after or couch surfing. Homelessness affects almost every aspect of life including family well-being, employment and physical and mental health. People experiencing homelessness have shorter life expectancies, are more likely to be victims of violence and go hungry at least once a week. The odds often feel stacked against those experiencing homelessness due to complex, interconnected issues like mental illness, addiction and abuse.

The Huron Homelessness Enumeration of 2021 reported 103 individuals as experiencing homelessness in Huron County. However, 80% of homelessness is hidden — meaning there are many more people struggling to find a place to call their own.

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

Julia was a single mom living with her parents in an abusive situation. She came to the Connection Centre in her community as part of a back to work program. Over the course of three months at the Centre, Julia was connected with services for her and her child. By working with a number of agencies, the compassionate staff at the Connection Centre were able to help her get into Second Stage Housing, apply for OW and petition the courts for child support from her child’s father. She also continues volunteering at the Centre, making a difference in the lives people in her community, and looks forward to continuing her personal growth and building a brighter future. 

United Way Southern Huron Community Committee

–> United Way Perth-Huron Manager Community Development, Southern Huron: Michelle Millar

Changing Local Lives

Seventeen-year-old Gaia lived in a refugee camp for two years prior to her arrival to Canada. Feeling unsafe in the new city she was to call home, Gaia relocated. With assistance from United Way supported partners, including an extended care program for youth, she secured financial assistance, obtained housing, returned to high school, and found a part-time job. 

Now, Gaia is doing better. She receives counselling for the trauma and loss she endured and credits all the support she received as the beginning of her healing journey.  Gaia dreams of becoming a doctor and returning to the community she now calls home to set up a practice after she graduates.

Supported Partners serving Southern Huron residents:

Want to read more?

Southern Huron Trifold Pamphlet (PDF)