Blog Posts Archive - Yorktown Family Services

April 22, 2026

A Space for Healing: Celebrating Yorktown’s Healing Garden

On March 6, 2026, Yorktown Family Services was honoured to welcome Mohamed Firin | MPP York South–Weston to our Violence Against Women Shelter to recognize the impact of a $44,100 grant from the Ontario Trillium Foundation (OTF) supporting our Healing Garden. We were joined by members of our Shelter and Violence Against Women (VAW) Services and Talent & Culture Teams to mark this important milestone. The visit included a tour of the Shelter and a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the garden’s pergola — a meaningful moment that celebrated the creation of a space designed for healing, reflection, and connection. Transforming Space […]

April 22, 2026

An Unprecedented Recognition: Home Depot Community Partnership Award

In an unprecedented show of cross-program appreciation, Rob Peters and the Home Depot Caledonia Road Team received dual nominations for a Community Partnership Award from both Violence Against Women Services and the Growing With Grief Program. Their outstanding support underscores the mutual dedication of Yorktown and the Home depot to build safer, stronger, and more resilient communities where families can thrive. Shirley’s Healing Garden: A Legacy of Courage and Community On November 29, 2024, Yorktown Family Services’ Violence Against Women Shelter marked the 40th anniversary of the tragic death of Shirley Samaroo, whose courage and story inspired the creation of […]

March 7, 2026

Walter’ Story: How Yorktown’s Violence Prevention Program Changes Lives

At Yorktown Family Services, early intervention can change the course of a life. Our Estimated Time of Arrival (ETA) Program — a violence prevention program launched in March 2020 — works to interrupt the pathway to grievance-fuelled or targeted violence before harm occurs. Through a psychosocial and interdisciplinary approach, the ETA team engages individuals at risk, helping them understand the factors driving their behaviour and supporting them in building healthier ways to cope, connect, and move forward. Using a psychosocial and interdisciplinary approach, ETA engages individuals at risk, works to understand their personal and social circumstances, and helps them find […]

March 7, 2026

June’s Story: How Integrated Mental Health Care Helps Families Thrive

At Yorktown Family Services, our clients are our North Star. They guide everything we do, reminding us that real impact happens when services are not only available but connected, seamless and centred on the needs of the people we serve. Through an integrated mental health care approach, Yorktown works to ensure that children, youth, women and families receive coordinated support that meets them where they are and helps them move forward. Like many community agencies, Yorktown continues to face funding constraints even as the demand for mental health and social services grows. But rather than allowing limited resources to limit […]

January 28, 2026

Program Spotlight: Mindful Fathering

When children are exposed to violence in the home, the impact can follow them for a lifetime. Preventing that harm requires more than crisis response; it requires early intervention, accountability, and support for meaningful change. Mindful Fathering is one way Yorktown addresses this need, working with fathers to interrupt cycles of violence and protect children’s safety and well-being. Supporting Fathers, Protecting Children Mindful Fathering is Yorktown Family Services’ 12-week, evidence-informed program designed to engage fathers in becoming child-centered parents and learning healthier ways to manage anger and aggression. Developed and trademarked by Yorktown, the program reduces children’s exposure to Intimate […]

December 9, 2025

Volunteering Together: A Mother–Daughter Story of Giving Back

Sam Hodge and her mother, Myrline Letlow Hodge, have been dedicated members of Yorktown Family Services’ cGaming Volunteer Team since 2022. Through this initiative, Yorktown partners with Dolphin Gaming Centre, the City of Toronto, and the Ontario Charitable Gaming Association (OCGA) to raise vital funds that directly support children, youth, women, and families in our community. Each month, proceeds from cGaming help Yorktown sustain critical mental health, outreach, and violence prevention services. Volunteers like Sam and Myrline make this possible by representing Yorktown at Dolphin Gaming Centre, greeting patrons, ensuring the space is safe and welcoming, and helping raise awareness […]

December 9, 2025

Helen Williams Staff Award of Excellence

Honouring Helen Williams with the Staff Award of Excellence

Helen Williams has been a guiding light at Yorktown Family Services for over two decades, shaping the lives of hundreds—if not thousands—of children and families. This year, Yorktown proudly recognizes Helen as the recipient of the Staff Award of Excellence, celebrating her dedication, creativity, and care. Helen’s journey at Yorktown began in 2003, when she joined the Supporting Young Families drop-in program as a part-time children’s group facilitator. While raising her own family, Helen sought meaningful work that allowed her to help others—continuing a lifelong calling to care for others that first led her to study nursing. More than two […]

November 19, 2025

Shirley’s Healing Garden: A Sanctuary of Healing and Hope

On November 29, 2024, Yorktown Family Services’ Shelter marked a poignant milestone — the 40th anniversary of the tragic death of Shirley Samaroo, whose courage and story gave rise to what is now Yorktown’s Violence Against Women Services. In her memory, Yorktown unveiled Shirley’s Healing Garden, a sanctuary dedicated to her and to all victims and survivors of gender-based violence. The garden’s creation was born from a conversation between Yorktown’s CEO, Suzette Arruda-Santos, and Gabbey Dessye, Director of VAW Services. Together, they envisioned a space that would both commemorate Shirley’s life and offer the women and children living at the […]

November 19, 2025

mom and daughters after yorktown's violence against women shelter program

Niku’s Story: Finding Her Voice at Yorktown Family Services

When Niku* and her two young daughters, aged two and three, arrived at Yorktown Family Services’ Violence Against Women Shelter, they were fleeing an abusive relationship and facing an uncertain future. Having migrated to Canada only months earlier, Niku spoke very little English. During intake, she avoided eye contact and spoke softly — her exhaustion and fear evident. Recognizing the language barrier, Yorktown’s multilingual, multicultural team arranged for cultural interpreters to complete her assessment and connect Niku with critical supports. The team’s first priority was safety and stability. Yorktown’s Child Advocate workers helped secure daycare for her daughters and a […]

November 14, 2025

Program Spotlight: Yorktown’s Violence Against Women (VAW) Shelter

November is recognized as Domestic Violence Awareness Month across Canada. At Yorktown Family Services, our Violence Against Women Programs and Shelter Services provides 24/7 safety, support and a path forward for women and children escaping abuse — a reality reflected in the words of one resident who shared, “At Yorktown, I felt safe. I could finally breathe again and start planning for my children’s future.” A Safe Haven in Times of Crisis Yorktown’s Violence Against Women (VAW) Shelter provides a lifeline for women and children escaping abusive relationships. For many, the choice is stark: remain in an unsafe home or […]