We have joined the 2024 Canberra Day Appeal to raise much needed funds for our charity!

This year, the Canberra Day Appeal’s 48-hour Hands Up for Canberra Giving Day begins on Wednesday, March 6. So please, give where you live and donate here during the 48h Giving Day donation drive.

Want to give now?
You don't have to wait - donate today!

Your donation will be doubled

Every $1 you donate will become $2 with matched funding available for the first $2,500 we fundraise ($5,000 total)

Please help us reach our goal #HandsUp4CBR

** Tally above includes matched funding and donations. Matched funds have been provided by Hands Across Canberra and the Chief Minister's Charitable Fund.

About Us

YWCA Canberra is a feminist not-for-profit organisation that has provided community services and represented women’s issues in Canberra since 1929.

Our mission is ‘We strengthen communities by supporting girls and women through our services and advocacy’ and our vision is ‘Girls and women thriving’.

We provide essential, quality services for women, girls and families in the ACT and surrounding regions. We work in the areas of children’s services, community development, homelessness and affordable housing, domestic and family violence, youth services, personal and professional training, women’s leadership and advocacy.

This year, we're asking the Canberra community to dig deep and support our frontline homelessness services. 

Every month in Canberra, around 1000 women are homeless or facing imminent homelessness. Women and children are the second highest presentation for homelessness services in Canberra.  

YWCA Canberra is at the forefront of providing safe and supportive homes for women and families, but the demand for our services continues to grow. Our organisation faces the challenge of meeting this increasing need and your generous donation can help us sustain and expand our programs.  

Currently there is a 3000-dwelling shortfall in social housing in Canberra, and over half of the homeless population is women. Domestic and family violence is the leading cause of homelessness among women in Canberra.  

YWCA Canberra's homelessness services go beyond providing temporary shelter, however. We offer a comprehensive range of support services, including therapeutic counselling, job training, and life skills workshops. Our organisation is dedicated to empowering women to break the cycle of homelessness, equipping them with the tools they need to rebuild their lives with confidence and independence. 

We provide support services to women and their children through multiple housing programs. 

• ‘Next Door’ is a specialist homelessness service that empowers older women to access and maintain affordable, appropriate, and safe homes in the ACT. Next Door clients work with our specialist and dedicated older women's homelessness team who help provide a range of services and supports. Next Door aims to tailor their services to address the unique challenges faced by older women experiencing homelessness.  
• ‘YHomes’ are YWCA Canberra's very own affordable, safe, and fit-for-purpose rentals for older women who are facing homelessness or women who are rebuilding their lives after escaping domestic violence. YHomes provides 3 emergency dwellings and 6 long-term homes for older women.  
• We also provide transitional housing support services for people and families who may need short-term support on their journey to finding a more stable, long-term and secure home.  

Your generous donation goes directly towards the fit out of furnishing for women and children. It will help YWCA Canberra in our mission to help girls and women in our housing services thrive and reach their full potential. You can help us make a lasting impact for clients with our housing services.  

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