Change starts here.
Change starts here.
When Teresa and her young son moved to Vancouver to start a new life, the challenges seemed overwhelming: as a single mother, she needed to find a school, housing, daycare and a job. “I felt isolated and alone.”
That’s when she connected with the YWCA Single Mothers' Support Group at Little Mountain Neighbourhood House, which helped her find accommodation in YWCA Semlin Gardens.
“It’s a housing community for single mothers and their children, funded in part by the United Way of Lower Mainland and owned and operated by YWCA Metro Vancouver in partnership with the province of BC, where you pay 30% of your income in rent. It’s a great way to help single mums get ahead,” says Teresa.
“It has a strong sense of community….since we are all single mothers, we can relate to one another. The kids love it!”
Teresa believes that the stigma attached to single mothers as “poor, uneducated and unable to provide for their kids is totally untrue! Lots of us go back to school while raising our children.”
But without “the other half” to depend on, life can be a struggle. That’s why United Way support is so vital.
“To be able to get help and get ahead is what it’s all about. If single mums can get educated, they can get out of poverty and give their kids the best in life.”
Teresa is grateful for the support she received in helping her return to school, earning her degree in Early Childhood Education. In 2010, she took time to give back by becoming involved with fundraising for United Way of the Lower Mainland.
“It taught me a lot about the community. It’s great to know there so many companies and individuals ready to help.”
In BC today, 20 per cent of families are headed by single moms – half of whom live in poverty.
The poverty in which many single moms and their children live often results from a combination of factors, including lack of child care and housing, low minimum wage rates, reductions to funding for education, as well as the challenge of balancing parental and work responsibilities.
United Way strengthens the systems that contribute to strong and healthy families, by advancing Smart Family Policy. United Way invests in organizations that advocate on behalf of children, collaborating with researchers, participating in community planning, public education events, think-tanks, and by convening stakeholders with the most influence over policies affecting children and families.
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