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| Sistering (Toronto) | |
|---|---|
| Name | Sistering |
| Formation | 1973 |
| Type | Non-profit |
| Headquarters | Toronto, Ontario, Canada |
| Region served | Greater Toronto Area |
| Services | Drop-in, transitional housing, long-term housing support, counselling, harm reduction, advocacy |
| Leader title | Executive Director |
Sistering (Toronto) is a Toronto-based community organization providing services to women, trans, and non-binary people experiencing homelessness, poverty, violence, and marginalization. Founded in 1973, the organization operates across the Downtown Toronto and Scarborough areas, offering crisis intervention, housing supports, and advocacy that intersect with public health, social services, and legal systems. Sistering's work connects with municipal, provincial, and national initiatives addressing homelessness, gender-based violence, and harm reduction.
Sistering traces institutional roots to feminist and anti-poverty movements connected to groups such as the Ontario Coalition Against Poverty, Canadian Women's Foundation, and local collectives in Toronto of the 1960s and 1970s. Early alliances involved service providers like Houselink, Covenant House Toronto, and the Women's College Hospital community programs, while policy contexts included debates within Toronto City Council and the Government of Ontario on welfare reform and shelter provision. Over decades Sistering adapted through interactions with federal initiatives such as campaigns by the Native Women's Association of Canada and recommendations from the Standing Committee on the Status of Women and provincial inquiries that paralleled work by organizations like Interval House and YWCA Toronto.
Sistering's mission emphasizes harm reduction, trauma-informed care, and feminist principles mirrored in programs by organizations such as Mothers Against Drunk Driving-style advocacy groups and public-health partners like Toronto Public Health. Core programs reflect models used by Fred Victor Centre, Street Health, and The 519 including crisis drop-in, housing stabilization, and outreach. The organization coordinates with legal aid services such as Legal Aid Ontario and collaborates on initiatives referenced by reports from the Canadian Observatory on Homelessness and the Canadian Mental Health Association.
Sistering operates a 24/7 drop-in centre inspired by service models from St. Stephen's Community House and Parkdale Queen West Community Health Centre, offering meals, showers, laundry, and secure storage. It runs transitional housing and long-term supports similar to programs at Sherbourne Health Centre and Mennonite New Life Centre, and provides counselling and case management paralleling services offered by Crisis Services Canada and Kids Help Phone outreach. Harm reduction services are informed by guidance from Public Health Agency of Canada and partnerships with organizations like Overdose Prevention Toronto and Canadian Drug Policy Coalition.
Sistering's funding derives from a mix of municipal grants from City of Toronto, provincial funding via the Government of Ontario, federal programs of the Government of Canada, private foundations such as the Ontario Trillium Foundation and philanthropic donors including family foundations tied to figures like those associated with United Way Greater Toronto. Governance follows nonprofit practice comparable to boards at The Stop Community Food Centre and Covenant House Toronto, with volunteer boards, executive leadership, and oversight consistent with regulations from Canada Revenue Agency and reporting expectations influenced by audits and reviews similar to those used by Toronto Foundation-funded agencies.
Sistering contributes to policy discussions alongside advocates from Feeding Toronto, the Toronto Alliance to End Homelessness, and the Canadian Alliance to End Homelessness, producing data and client narratives that inform inquiries such as the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls and municipal reviews led by Office of the Auditor General of Ontario or the City Ombudsman. The organization has been cited in media coverage by outlets like the Toronto Star, CBC Television, and Global News and works with researchers at institutions such as the University of Toronto, Ryerson University (now Toronto Metropolitan University), and the Dalla Lana School of Public Health to evaluate outcomes and influence policy on housing, health care access, and gender-based violence prevention.
Sistering maintains partnerships with local and national organizations including Salvation Army (Canada), Red Cross (Canada), Native Women's Association of Canada, LGBT Youthline, and community health centres like South Riverdale Community Health Centre. Outreach strategies echo collaborations with shelters and services such as Fred Victor and St. Michael's Hospital's inner-city programs, and coordinate with municipal services like Toronto Police Service's community response units and the Toronto Employment and Social Services network. Sistering engages volunteers, student placements from universities such as York University and George Brown College, and works with advocacy coalitions including the Ontario Coalition Against Poverty and housing justice movements to expand service capacity and public awareness.
Category:Organizations based in Toronto Category:Homelessness organizations in Canada Category:Women in Ontario