Moving to a new country can be difficult without strong connections or a sense of community. The South London Neighbourhood Resource Centre provides emergency food and basic needs support while creating a space where people can connect and feel supported. Supported through funding from United Way Elgin Middlesex, the centre’s Essential Services Program continues to see growing demand as more residents turn to community resources for support. 

Krisstel Moreno, who came to Canada from Venezuela two years ago, says the program helped her find a sense of belonging. “As a newcomer, you don’t get to know a lot of people,” she said. “When I got here and I found this beautiful team, it made me feel like I have another family.” 

Moreno first connected with the centre through a volunteer opportunity while looking to gain Canadian experience. She later began working as a community service worker in youth programs and says the experience helped her secure her first job after arriving in Canada. She is now working part time and is pursuing a community service worker diploma, inspired by her experience at the centre. “I got my first job because of this,” she said. 

The centre also brings people together through weekly meals and programs, where community members can connect and support one another. “We have like 100 people come,” Moreno said. “It’s so nice to see them enjoying the food, getting to know each other and having a good time here.” 

When asked to describe what the program means to her, her answer was simple. “Family and home.” 

It’s hard to imagine the fear of bringing a new baby into the world with no home to go to. 

But that was Shayla’s reality. 

At just 19, Shayla became a mom for the first time. Like many teens, she clashed with her own mother. When things escalated, Shayla found herself with nowhere to go. 

“I had no idea what I was in for,” she told us. “Things fell apart pretty quickly.” 

For years, Shayla drifted between couches, shelters, and the street. She was hungry. Exhausted. Her belongings were constantly stolen. She became addicted to drugs. She lost contact with her daughter. And worst of all, she lost hope. 

“I never thought I would get out of it. I didn’t think I deserved it.” 

But then, Shayla found out she was pregnant again—and everything changed. 

“I just knew I had to change things,” she said. “As soon as I found out, I stopped using. I wanted to have a healthy baby.” 

Getting clean was just the first step. Finding stable housing was much harder. 

Shayla called shelters, desperate for a place to stay. “There was no room,” she remembers. “I was terrified I wasn’t going to have a home for her when she was born.” 

United Way funds programs that provide both immediate needs and also long-term solutions for people experiencing homelessness. Thanks to the generous support of donors like you, Shayla connected with a caring housing worker through a United Way-funded program at London Cares. That support changed everything. 

“Just to know that you have somebody there to support you and have your back …it means a lot. If I didn’t have that, I don’t think I would have made it this far on my own.” 

With help navigating rental applications and setting up a safe, stable home, Shayla finally moved into an apartment of her own. 

“My daughter has her own room now. She has her own stuff to grow up with. And I have responsibilities. I’m in a completely different mindset.” 

Today, Shayla is clean. She’s stable. She’s safe. She has rebuilt connections with her family. And most importantly, she’s hopeful. 

“I’m just really happy that I’m not going to be back in that situation. I can learn from my mistakes and do it differently this time around.” 

Right now, far too many people in our community are living rough, sleeping in shelters or on the streets. It’s easy to lose hope.

Shayla’s story is a reminder that with the right supports like housing, mental health care, and someone who believes in them—people can rebuild their lives. 

Women engaged in survival sex work often face a tangled web of challenges—homelessness, addiction, and trauma. The Street Level Women at Risk (SLWAR) program supports these women by helping them find stable housing and a chance to rebuild their lives, free of judgment or preconditions.

Jaclyn Seeler, former program manager with SLWAR, emphasizes that the program is driven by women with lived experience. “They know the barriers and understand the system in a way others can’t,” she says. Their input is woven into every aspect of the program, from planning to implementation.

Housing is SLWAR’s top priority, providing women with a stable foundation from which they can set goals and connect with local services. The program’s personalized approach allows each woman to define her own needs and path forward.

Melissa, a former participant and SLWAR advocate, knows firsthand the struggles many of these women face. “What makes SLWAR special is that we meet women where they are, with no strings attached,” she explains. “Basically it’s a program that offers multiple options for support. The main thing is: housing first.”

Through collaboration with dozens of local partners, including the London Police Service, SLWAR achieved a 100% success rate in securing housing for the women they work with. Many women have decreased their involvement in sex work, and relationships with their children have improved. SLWAR is proof that by listening and learning from those who need assistance, and collaborating with other, we can make a real difference for the most vulnerable people in our communities.

Have you ever wondered what happens to slightly bruised peaches or imperfect apples at the grocery store? Or where food goes when it’s nearing its expiration date? For too long, this food ended up in landfills, going to waste despite still being edible.

The London Food Coalition (LFC) is changing that. Thanks to a partnership of over 25 local organizations, the LFC rescues food that would otherwise be thrown out and redirects it to individuals and families in need. With over 3,500 people relying on the London Food Bank, this effort is making a real difference.

“It’s not just about feeding the hungry,” says Tosha Densky, LFC’s president. “It’s about nutrition, health, and community vibrancy. If we have an abundance, why wouldn’t we share it?”

Since they acquired a refrigerator truck, the LFC has rescued over one million pounds of food top help fill the plates of families across London.

Much of the food comes from grocery stores, restaurants, and farmers who have surplus produce. It’s then distributed through a network of partners that serve diverse cultural and religious communities, ensuring everyone’s needs and tastes are met. LFC Coordinator Matthew Wannan says, “While it might seem like a luxury, it shouldn’t be. It should just be humanizing that we all get to eat good quality, nourishing food.”

With food prices rising, many people have to prioritize other expenses over nutrition. The LFC’s work provides not only meals but also healthier, more nutrient-dense options that many couldn’t otherwise afford. Densky believes that by continuing to work together, we can end food insecurity in London.

Leaving an abusive relationship can be a difficult and dangerous step, especially when there is a housing crisis. That’s where St. Thomas Elgin Second Stage Housing (STESSH) comes in, offering women and their children a safe place to rebuild their lives.

After escaping abuse, women may struggle to find their next step following a stay in a short-term shelter. That’s where Second Stage Housing come in, offering women longer-term lodging and support to regain their independence. Program care coordinator Natalie Ingram explains, “We are that second step from a shelter type environment where it’s short-term. Our goal is to help women move forward and find a place they feel safe. Everything is really based on what that woman needs specifically.”

Domestic violence crosses all socioeconomic boundaries, and leaving can often plunge women into poverty. Even those from comfortable backgrounds may find themselves struggling to start over, relying on government assistance for the first time. SESSH helps them navigate these challenges and rebuild their lives.

Children, too, need support in processing the trauma of living through abuse. Family support worker Shelby Marks helps children at STESSH learn to express their feelings in healthy ways, guiding them toward emotional recovery. “A lot of the children’s program focuses on them learning how to deal with their feelings in a positive way. Some of them have a lot of anger, based on what they’ve seen or heard living in a home with abusive relationships.”

Without organizations like STESSH, many women would remain trapped in abusive relationships. By offering shelter, guidance, and emotional support, STESSH helps women and their children find hope and stability.

Sara Stapleton is getting ready to graduate from Fanshawe College this year. Like a lot of 20-year-olds, she’s not completely sure what she wants to do, but she finds it rewarding to work with children.

Sixteen years ago, a doctor told Sara’s family that the effects of cancer treatments on her brain meant she was unlikely to ever earn a high school diploma. Sara turned that prediction upside down. She did it through hard work, determination, and help from a United Way-funded agency: the Learning Disabilities Association of London Region (“LDALR”). Last year, Sara graduated with a 90% in English and entered the Early Childhood Education Program at Fanshawe College.

Like United Way, the LDALR is committed to making sure every student has a fair shot – that they have the tools they need to succeed. For Sara, that help came in the form of tutoring, camps, and having someone in her corner when the going got tough.

In grade seven, Sara was hitting a low point at school. “I felt like an alien…like I wasn’t worth it.” Luckily, LDALR was able to help Sara’s teachers better understand her needs, and equipped Sara with the tools to advocate for herself.

Now, as a college student, when she meets a new teacher she says, “I’m Sara Stapleton. I have a learning disability, and these are the things that I need.”

Sara channels her positive memories while she is learning to be a teacher herself. “If I can help little kids be stronger and believe in themselves that’s such an amazing thing. I totally want to give them the same feeling that I had coming out of tutoring.”

Sara got her fair shot at succeeding in school because of the Learning Disabilities Association of London Region. United Way believes that everyone – from students to seniors to single parents – deserves that kind of chance. That’s why United Way advocates for and invests in the LDALR.

Joan’s morning routine is as familiar as it is rewarding: eat breakfast, drink a cup of tea (black, no sugar) and then head out to meet friends at My Sisters’ Place or the London Coffee House.

“Most times, it’s fun, enjoyable, comradeship. It’s invigorating,” she says, then throws her head back in a laugh. “When I’m with the girls – oh, we laugh ourselves silly.”

Her description is different from how you might imagine My Sisters’ Place and the Coffee House, where women and men who experience homelessness or are at risk of homelessness can find support, basic needs and friendship.

When things fall apart

Not so long ago, Joan would have thought differently about the drop-in sites too, if she’d even thought about them at all.

That was when she had a job she loved, an apartment and good health.

Then things came apart. She fell and broke her hip, spent 2-1/2 months
in hospital, lost her job and lost her apartment.

Joan lived in her car for three months before connecting with local agencies, transitional housing and, more recently, the seniors’ apartment where she lives. It has been a long haul.

“That fall totally changed my life. Before, I might see people down on their luck and think, ‘get a job,’ but now I understand. You need empathy and respect for every single person because everyone has a different story.”

United Way is here, with neighbours like Joan

Through our partner agencies, United Way helps stories take a turn for the better:
• the isolated rural senior who gets a ride to a medical appointment;
• the marginalized kid whose time at summer camp builds belonging
and leadership;
• the person who receives wrap-around support to move from
homelessness to housing;
• the family getting a basket of fresh produce when the month’s
expenses stretch beyond their meagre means.

Because of donors like you, United Way Elgin Middlesex can invest $4.2 million this year to help 44 local programs work with neighbours-in-need to provide poverty relief, housing stability and belonging.

They include My Sisters’ Place and London Coffee House, both programs of CMHA – Thames Valley Addiction and Mental Health Services.

Having received help from My Sisters’ Place during her toughest times, Joan now finds joy in walking with others through their struggles and successes. She laughs and cries with her friends. She helps make meals. She listens.

“With all the people I know and love now, why wouldn’t I give back?” she says. “I think, ‘yes, Joan, you are blessed.’ I wouldn’t think twice about helping someone.”

Opportunities and partnerships

From the kitchen of the Coffee House, where she is preparing chili for 100 people, agency nutritionist Cheryl overhears the conversation and interjects: “Joan is love, to the power of 11-cubed.”

Joan insists there are many like her all across the region: People who need help. People who help. Opportunities everywhere.

“It’s not all about me and it’s not all about you. It’s about all of us together,” says Joan. “We can make sure all the supports are there when people need them. We can make things better.”

We’re focused on funding programs and services that improve lives and help folks meet their most immediate and pressing needs. That means investing in local people through local organizations that do great work. Together, we’re building a community where everyone has a fair shot at a good life.