About Gillian's Place:

As one of Ontario’s first shelters for those who experiencing abuse, Gillian’s Place provides safe refuge and support programs to survivors of gender-based violence in Niagara. Our team has continuously evolved and grown in our understanding of and responsiveness to the needs within our community. We have grown in our awareness of the intersections between violence and marginalization and the necessity of providing an inclusive, barrier-free response to gendered violence. We are inclusive and welcoming of all women, two-spirit, genderqueer, trans, and non-binary people facing violence. We desire to offer services and spaces where all survivors can come without reservation, knowing that they will be welcomed, respected, and provided with hope, support, and choices.

At Gillian’s Place, we are much more than an emergency shelter. We offer a wide spectrum of free and confidential services that support survivors across the care continuum. These include:

• A 34-bed emergency shelter
• A 24/7 phone or text support line
• Second stage housing
• Safety planning
• Experienced and non-judgemental one-on-one and group counselling
• Legal advice and support
• Child and youth programs
• A transitional housing and support program
• Education and violence prevention programs

Together, we can help break the cycle of violence in our community.

Our Mission:

To empower women and their children fleeing abuse by providing safety, support, and a range of services and to raise awareness about root causes to end the cycle of violence and abuse.  

Our Vision:

We seek a socially just community where all women and children are free from violence and abuse.

Our Values:

Our organizational values inform how Gillian's Place is governed, how our services are delivered, and how we work together. Simply said, our values permeate everything we do. We honour the innate strength of survivors in everything that we do and commit to the practice and principles of self-determination.

Collaboration

We are better together. We see our community partners, funders, clients, and each other as allies and our shared work as the only way to achieve lasting impact. We come hospitably to the table with openness and humility.

Integrity

We act with uncompromising honesty, respect and fairness with the women we serve, with our community and with each other. We welcome questions and we answer sincerely.

Woman-Centredness

We're here for all women and for each woman. Our language and our work is informed by each woman's context, stage, dignity, and right to self-determination and are more important than our own agendas or the systems within which we work.

Courage

We are here to change things. Regardless of traditional mindsets, power structures and norms, we welcome the challenge of stepping out and speaking up. We work within an intersectional, feminist, and anti-racism/anti-oppression framework and we honour each other's courage in doing this work.