What we do
As a community ministry of the Anglican Diocese of Ottawa, Cornerstone has been supporting women experiencing homelessness for almost 40 years. Every year 1,000 women become homeless in our city. Cornerstone provides a continuum of housing and support for women and gender-diverse people in Ottawa that is inclusive and reduces barriers.
We support over 200 women every day across our emergency shelter, four-soon-to-be-five supportive housing residences, plus an outreach program that helps women stay housed. Our vision is for everyone to have a home in a community that supports them to live with dignity and hope. We have more than 100 full and part-time staff and more than 160 volunteers. Every year, we provide over 95,000 nourishing meals. Cornerstone provides basic needs and a variety of services including spiritual care, mental health and harm reduction support, crisis counseling, housing search, and more.
Cornerstone is committed to social justice, collaboration, equity, diversity, and inclusion, respect, and organizational excellence.
How you can help
Give
Last year, thanks to the extraordinary support of our community, we began our year moving our shelter back to its O’Connor location, with the support of our community we made it through the city-wide occupation, and our community rallied around us to help residents at Booth Street move back home after a fire required them to relocate to a city facility for months. We could not have done this without you.
Our work is far from over.
We are thrilled to announce Cornerstone will be opening its fifth supportive housing residence in 2023. Our new building will be a place to call home for 46 women and gender-diverse people who may have never experienced a safe, caring community and home before. Every year, Cornerstone supports more than 600 women and gender diverse people across our emergency shelter, outreach program, and housing communities and we can not do it without your generosity. If you feel inspired, please give today at www. cornerstonewomen.ca
GET INVOLVED
The more people in our community who get involved in supporting Cornerstone, the greater impact we can have in providing permanent, supportive housing for women in Ottawa. Here are a few ways you can be a part of our Cornerstone Community:
Host your own event
Hosting your own event is a great way for you to involve your friends, family, neighbours, and community in making a difference in the lives of vulnerable women in Ottawa. It’s easy for individuals, groups, local businesses, and schools to organize a fundraiser in support of Cornerstone Housing for Women.
Volunteer
As a Cornerstone volunteer, you can be a vital piece of the puzzle that helps women break the cycle of poverty and homelessness and build a new life of hope and stability. You can help us with activities, build a connection, become a colleague with a resident, help prepare a meal, sort donations, and more.
Events + fundraising
COLDEST NIGHT OF THE YEAR
The Coldest Night of the Year charity walk returns to Ottawa’s Westboro Village for an in-person event for 2024! Feel the bite of the night as a reminder of the hardships people endure when they don’t have a home or a community of support. Save the date: February 24, 2024!
PURPLE TIE GALA
Last year’s Purple Tie Gala at the Ottawa Arts Gallery continued to be a night to remember as we gathered back in person for the first time in nearly three years. We were able to raise more than $143,000 for our emergency shelter. Guests joined us for Cornerstone’s fifth annual fundraiser at the National Arts Centre this past October. It was the fall event of the season with a night filled with local tunes by Renee Landry, delicious canapes, and a silent auction to bid the night away.
44 ECCLES SUPPORTIVE HOUSING PROJECT
Cornerstone is currently renovating the property at 44 Eccles in the Centretown neighbourhood. This will be our fifth supportive housing residence and will become a new home for 46 women and gender-diverse people currently facing homelessness or are at risk of being homeless.
To learn more about this new residence, please visit our website www.cornerstonewomen.ca
Get in touch:
314 Booth St.
Ottawa, Ont.
K1R 7K2
cornerstonewomen.ca
info@cornerstonewomen.ca
613-254-6584
Year founded: 1983
Total Revenue for Last Fiscal Year: $7,024,546
Twitter:/X @HopeCornerstone
Facebook: @CornerstoneHousing
instagram: @hopecornerstonex
Kate Jackson, acting executive director
Mark Holzman, board chair
BOARD MEMBERS
- Yasmine Khaliq, vice chair
- Peter Martin
- Ann Chaplin
- Arushana Sunderaeson
- Sanjay Grover
- Patricia Hassard
- Margaret Lemaire
- Katie Boone
- Mary Laidlaw
YPAB MEMBERS
- Brianne Wartman
- Michaela Johnson
- Delan De silva
- Laura Wilcox
- Hope Caldi-Amer
- Jenna Geldart
- Cara Upward
- Mario Balerna
- Isobel Smith
- Paloma Boucher
- Paulina Ascencio
- Amin Zahrai
- Desiree Hayward
- Bianca Schuster
TOP FUNDING SOURCES
GOVERNMENT: 60%
INDIVIDUAL DONATIONS: 17%
RENTS: 11%
CAPITAL CONTRIBUTIONS: 6%
OTHER: 5%
GEOGRAPHIC REGION OF FOCUS
Ottawa
