Finding home
Lynda, participant at a United Way funded Supportive Housing Program
“You need to be able to start building your life back again, especially when you’ve lost everything that you had before. Now, I do have a place I can call home, and it’s given me hope for the future.”
Everything changed for Lynda when she connected with a housing stability program. What started with access to safe housing quickly became something more. A foundation for healing, growth, and hope. Through the program, Lynda was connected to counselling, employment support, wellness resources, and a caring community that helped her feel supported every step of the way.
“Everything is moving in the right direction now… I owe it to these guys.”
After losing her husband, Lynda returned to St. Thomas hoping to be closer to her children and grandchildren and start over. Instead, she found herself without a place to call home, moving between shelters and couch surfing. She felt like she was “at ground zero” and had lost
everything.
Lynda’s life feels far more stable now. She found a home. She secured employment. For Lynda, it was important to commit to “being in the community and helping out.” As a volunteer, she’s proud to be giving back to the program that helped support her through such a challenging time.
Having stable housing allowed her to rebuild her confidence and plan ahead. “I do have a place I can call home, and it’s given me hope for the future.”
Housing Stability
- Last year, United Way funded programs that helped 807 people on the journey to safe, stable housing
- 17,016 shelter nights were provided for people who have not yet been able to move into stable housing
- 210 people moved into stable housing, and 344 more received support to maintain it
Staying connected and valued
Last year, we funded 16 programs that create welcoming spaces and improve access to opportunities for 6,300 people – especially for those who face systemic inequities: like seniors, newcomers, and people with disabilities.
Inclusion & Belonging
- 3,097+ youth participated in activities to promote healthy living and physical activity
- 1,669+ people built social connections and learned about local services
- 753 interpretation sessions helped newcomers access services and connect with the community
Providing stability and care
Krisstel, volunteer and part-time worker at South London Neighbourhood Resource Centre
When people don’t have dependable access to healthy food, essential supplies, or the supports that help them get through each day, it becomes nearly impossible to plan for the future – let alone thrive. Last year, we helped 148,129 people get those essential needs.
A worker at a Neighbourhood Resource Centre explains “It’s not just about food. It’s about access, dignity, and stability.” These programs often act as an inroad for people to connect to other services – like mental health, or housing stability.
“As a newcomer, you don’t get to know a lot of people. When I got here and found this beautiful team, it made me feel like I had another family.”
Essential Needs
- 12,982 good food boxes were distributed to families
- 322,157 meals and 44,083 snacks were served
- 6,143 trips to appointments were provided
- 27,150 people got access to basic needs like toiletries and winter clothing
For many people, especially in rural areas, getting to and from medical appointments is challenging. According to one ride recipient, “This transportation program has been my lifeline. Without it, I would be isolated and unable to access the treatments that are essential to my survival.”
Some programs, like Meals on Wheels, help reduce isolation, resolve transportation issues, and keep people fed at the same time. They told us they recently connected with a man who hadn’t eaten for three days but was deeply embarrassed about asking for help. Their team mobilized same-day support, reassuring him that “seeking help is a sign of strength, not weakness.”
Helping families move forward
United Way funds programs to help women escape and recover after experiencing gender-based violence. Helping the kids affected by this violence is an important part of the solution. Rachel Veens, Child and Youth Advocate at Women’s Rural Resource Centre, shared that “It’s a safe, supportive place for children and youth to feel heard and begin to heal.”
We also fund programming to break the cycle of violence and abuse that so often carries on from fathers to sons. At Changing Ways, they work with the abusers themselves.
Gender-Based Violence
- 505 individuals including 254 children got help healing from violent relationships
Mental health supports
We fund programs that increase access to effective, community-based mental health supports for individuals, families, and caregivers. In all, 2,199 people received free or subsidized counselling services, and 7,048 counselling sessions were provided.
Daya Counselling Centre’s program focuses not only on counselling, but also on creating a sense of safety and connection for clients as they navigate life’s challenges. We’re able to do this because of the support of the community,” says Da-Qing Wong, their Executive Director.
Poverty connects it all
In Elgin and Middlesex, poverty shows up differently for everyone, but its effects are woven into our community in ways that affect us all. Rising costs, limited access to services, and deep-rooted systemic barriers make it harder for people to meet their basic needs, find stability, and live with dignity.
Poverty is the thread that connects all the issues we work on: Essential Needs, Housing Stability, Mental Health Supports, Gender-Based Violence, and Inclusion & Belonging. These aren’t isolated issues. They are all connected.
Common problems like a lost job, a medical bill, or a violent relationship can easily snowball. A mental health episode can trigger a housing crisis. Housing instability makes it nearly impossible to meet basic needs. Violence at home isolates people from the supports they need most. And without a sense of belonging and connection, the path forward is harder to find.
This is how poverty works. It’s why the solution also has to be about connections. Many of the services we fund help with more than one aspect of poverty, or help people build the connections that can lead them forward.
Together — with our donors, partners, and volunteers —
we’re building a community where everyone has a fair shot at a good life.
Building Connections
One of our most cherished ways of connecting with our supporters is through our annual Sponsored Employee Program. Participants are “sponsored” by their full-time employers to receive special training from United Way and step into the heart of our community campaign for 16 weeks. They bring energy, fresh perspectives, and gain skills that last far beyond the placement.
More than words
Accepting the 2026 “Welcoming Workplace” award on behalf of United Way from the London Middlesex Local Immigration Partnership, our team member Juan said “Inclusion is not just about opening the door, it’s about what happens after. It’s about trust. It’s about belonging.”
Volunteers with heart
In October, Ontario’s Ministry of Citizenship & Multiculturalism honoured two of our long-serving volunteers, Kimmarie Harris and Wil Osbourne-Sorrell, with Volunteer Service Awards, which honour those “who continue to show up for others through selfless, sustained service.”
Growing capacity
This year, we helped local organizations secure over $138,000 through the Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s School Food Infrastructure Fund to improve nutrition programs for hundreds of children and youth across our community.
“Working with the allocations committee was really an impressive process. I was able to learn more about the agencies in the city, and the important role that they’re playing. I also saw how great the need is because the request for support far outstrips the available funds.”
– John W. Murphy, longtime volunteer and recipient of this year’s ChangeMakers Lifetime Achievement Award
Last year, our Community Fund granted $4 million to 39 agencies to help
157,964 people have a fair shot at a good life.
Our Community Fund is directed by a team of volunteers who devote hundreds of hours to review grant applications and determine where our funds can do the most good for the community as a whole.
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