Lori’s Place Second Stage Housing

Second Stage housing provides short-term private apartments for women, with or without children, rebuilding their lives after abuse or domestic violence.  Our facility includes 6 rent-geared-to-income units for women and their children to stay for up to 2 years and is not just an apartment, it is a program. Residents receive counselling, education and social skills training.

Lori’s Place offers ample indoor and outdoor spaces for programming, play and holiday gatherings.  The location is close to many needed services such as public transportation, schools, churches, grocery stores, counselling and legal and court services.

The new Lori’s Place property replaces the former Amy’s Second Stage Housing in Fenelon Falls, that Women’s Resources sold in 2021 after 19 years of operation. There were challenges in Fenelon Falls regarding access to transportation, social service programs, medical services, education and employment. The new Lindsay location has removed all these barriers.

“It is more than a place to live, it is a community. After moving on with my life, I am still friends with one of the women who also lived in Women’s Resources second stage housing apartment and we talk almost every day.”
– Sandi (former Amy’s Resident)

For women and their children fleeing abuse, they need to be able to access affordable, safe housing within a reasonable time frame so they have the opportunity to continue lives free of violence. Without this, women are often forced to return to their abusive partners, resulting in escalated violence and sometimes even death. In the City of Kawartha Lakes (CKL), the wait list for appropriate housing is 10 years; currently, there are 2,000 people on that list.

Second stage housing is an essential step to healing by learning to live without the violence and chaos many women and their children have left behind. Women who leave domestic violence are often thrown into a life of poverty with no immediate source of income or employment skills. A woman’s self-esteem erodes after living in fear and the trauma of being abused. They blame themselves and feel they deserve nothing. A safe, warm and welcome environment is needed for them to heal. Women’s Resources help the women to understand that they are worthy of having a nice home and deserve to raise their children in an environment free from terror, fear and violence.

For many, this home will be the first time they have felt safe in years.

Second Stage Housing is not something that is supported through government funding so we need to rely on donations and other fundraising opportunities from the community. Thank you to all who contributed to the Capital Campaign and made this wonderful home possible.

“The first place my children and I could feel safe and call our home was our second-stage housing apartment.  After fleeing from a life filled with violence and uncertainty, we switched out of survival mode and with the help of Women’s Resources counsellors started living again.”
– Laura (former Amy’s Resident)

THANK YOU!

To our generous sponsors,
we cOULDN’T do it without you!