The Downtown Mission purchased this building on Ouellette Ave. to open the Mission Wellness Centre, April 29 2016. (Photo by Maureen Revait)The Downtown Mission purchased this building on Ouellette Ave. to open the Mission Wellness Centre, April 29 2016. (Photo by Maureen Revait)
Windsor

Dormitory To Help Women Get Off The Streets

Windsor's Downtown Mission will now provide a private, safe space for women at its new Wellness Centre on Ouellette Ave.

Caesars Windsor is donating $40,000 in order to help build a women's dormitory.

Director of Development at the Mission Fiona Coughlin says homeless women are extremely vulnerable.

"Sometimes they're escaping abuse or different situations," she explains. "There are various reasons that can bring someone to the streets and sometimes that can also lead to [human] trafficking to survive."

An up until now, Coughlin says circumstances for women at the Mission have been less than ideal.

"'Get into your pajamas and sleep on the floor with everyone else,' there's no dignity in that," she adds. "We really want to move to a place where we're taking people to the next step in their life, and help them on a new path."

The funding from Caesars will also go toward three years of mental health programming for women.

The Downtown Mission currently houses an average of 50 people overnight, about ten of which are women.

The new dorm will fit ten, and Coughlin says there is a second room which they will be able to use if necessary.

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