Our History

In 1952, a number of concerned citizens formed a Rooms Registry Committee to provide safe housing for girls and women in Sudbury. The first Annual Meeting of the Sudbury YWCA was held in February 1955. The Rooms Registry Committee became an organized YWCA, incorporating in 1958. Over the next 16 years, the rooms and apartments at 122-4 Larch were home to students in teaching, nursing and business courses, working women, travelers, young women needing guidance and women and their children in emergency situations.

As other facilities for women became available, the YWCA Sudbury residence was increasingly utilized by abused women and their children looking for a safe refuge. In 1983, the YWCA of Sudbury was successful in acquiring the funding for an emergency housing facility at 224 Elm Street. This facility was named Genevra House after Genevra Richards, the first Executive Director of the Sudbury YWCA.

In 1978 YWCA Sudbury began its sponsorship of the Adult Protective Service Worker Program for both men and women with developmental disabilities. A more intensive life skills support program was added in 1984. Through extensive community collaboration and realignment of services developmental services at YWCA Sudbury evolved into what currently exists as Service Coordination. Its role is to plan with the community to meet the needs of people with developmental disabilities and provide a centralized system to access services from the Sudbury Manitoulin Adult Developmental Service System of 10 agencies. Service Coordination’s newest addition is to assess and distribute funding so people in the Northern Region of the province can participate in the community via a provincial program called Passport. In 2011 YWCA Sudbury Service Coordination Programs & Services were transfered to Developmental Services Ontario.

In affiliation with the dynamic tradition of YWCA Canada, the YWCA Sudbury has been instrumental in addressing current needs of the community. We are proud of the heritage of strong leadership by women and the commitment to meeting these needs and shaping a better future.