Amelie House Toronto: Society of St. Vincent de Paul

Our History:

• Amélie House is one of a number of homes operated by the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, Toronto Central Council 
• Amélie House opened in December, 1998 as a 30 bed emergency shelter for women. In March, 1999, the City of Toronto, which provides our funding, changed our mandate to longer-term, transitional housing program for women. Our transitional period was complete by August, 1999, at which time we officially stopped operating as an emergency shelter. We are able to accommodate 20 residents.

Our Mandate:

• To provide long-term, transitional housing for up to two years for women aged 18 years and older who have experienced difficulty in maintaining adequate, permanent housing; 
• To provide safe accommodation, nutritious meals, and basic necessities to the women in our care; 
• To assist women in identifying their individual goals and ensure they are provided with the support and resources required to meet these goals; 
• To encourage each woman’s independence, competence, and self-esteem; 
• To provide on-site programming with staff supervision and support, available on a 24 hour basis; 
• To provide a living environment that is self directed by the resident; 
• To ensure each woman has access to and the option to utilize community resources that provide financial income, health care, emotional support, education and training, spiritual support, social and recreational opportunities and, ultimately, permanent housing; 
• To ensure that the women in our care are treated in a fair and consistent manner and are provided with opportunities to voice their concerns about their living environment without fear of negative repercussions; 
• To provide continuity of care for women who have left the program, but wish to maintain contact.

The Characteristics and Needs of Residents:

• Most of our residents are survivors of domestic violence, abuse, poverty, addiction, or mental illness. 
• At Amélie House the women are offered life-skills training, informal counseling, crisis intervention, referral, advocacy, and 24 hour on-site support and services. 
• The circumstances that brought our residents to Amélie House are varied. The barriers that prevent them from seeking and maintaining permanent, independent housing are many. However, it is through the support and assistance of people like you that we are able to help the women we serve to begin their healing process and maintain permanent housing.

Emergency Contact Information:
Director: Eyitayo Dada 416-465-0475
Our staff currently consists of a director, shift supervisor, community support worker, and life-skills coach. There are also re-establishment counselors (of whom 3 are full time, 3 are part time), 1 overnight worker and relief staff.