Haldimand-Norfolk Women's Svc

What Haldimand-Norfolk Women's Svc does

Haldimand-Norfolk Women's Services (HNWS) is a charitable non-profit corporation founded in 1990 that operates the only shelter for abuse survivors in Haldimand and Norfolk counties of Ontario, Canada. Headquartered at 250 Oak Street in Simcoe, the organization delivers 14 programs spanning emergency residential shelter, 24/7 crisis intervention, individual and group counseling (up to 24 therapy sessions), legal advocacy across family, criminal, and immigration courts, transitional housing support, and youth-focused services including the S.T.A.R. Program (school-based counseling in all secondary schools), Elementary School Based Counselling, and the Children Who Witness Program. Service recipients are women aged 16 and older (with or without children), children who have witnessed abuse, and youth aged 16-21 in CAS care, all served free of charge across the two rural counties.

The service delivery architecture is community-led rather than technology-led. Intake flows through a 24/7 crisis line (1-800-265-8076), walk-in shelter access, and formal referral arrangements with the Children's Aid Society of Haldimand and Norfolk, hospitals, police services, and secondary schools. Embedded counselor presence in schools (S.T.A.R. counselors available weekly at each secondary school) functions as a core distribution channel. The Justice for Women Review Team, a Violence Against Women Coordinating Committee housed at HNWS, coordinates community-wide training (Cut It Out, Make It Our Business) delivered in partnership with Western University and local salon professionals. HNWS operates as a registered charity (number 10808 3726 RR0001) with no proprietary technology products or AI/ML capabilities.

The revenue model is hybrid government-grant-plus-donation. Core funding flows from three Ontario provincial ministries: the Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services, the Ministry of Health, and the Ministry of the Attorney General. Community donations supplement these grants through the website with tiered giving options ($15, $25, $50, $75, $100), an Amazon Wish List, the annual Farm to Table Dinner fundraiser ($100 per ticket), and the Wrapped in Courage Purple Scarves campaign. The organization employs 14 staff and is governed by an elected Board of Directors led by Executive Director Amber Wardell.

Name

Haldimand-Norfolk Women's Svc

Legal name

Haldimand & Norfolk Women's Services

Website

https://hnws.on.ca

Company type

Private

Founded year

1990

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

HNWS is a charitable non-profit operating the only abuse survivor shelter in Ontario's Haldimand and Norfolk counties, delivering 14 free programs including 24/7 crisis intervention, residential shelter, counseling, legal advocacy, and youth services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Gender-Based Violence Support Services

NAICS

Community Housing Services (62422), Temporary Shelters (624221), Individual and Family Services (6241)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Domestic Violence & Abuse Support Services (BPAGAEAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Mental Health & Crisis Support Services (BPAGACAD), Affordable Housing & Community Development (Housing, Community Land Trusts) (BPAGALAC), Legal Aid & Client Advocacy Services (BPAGAEAM)

Keywords

• Domestic violence shelter
• Crisis intervention services
• Women's counselling
• Sexual assault support
• Transitional housing program

Headquarters

HQ city

Simcoe

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Government Funding: HNWS is a charitable non-profit corporation primarily funded by three Ontario provincial ministries: Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services, Ministry of Health, and Ministry of the Attorney General. These government grants fund core shelter operations, counseling programs, and legal advocacy services.
2. Donations and Fundraising: Community donations enhance and supplement government-funded programs and services. The organization accepts charitable donations through its website with registered charity number 10808 3726 RR0001, offering donation tiers of $15, $25, $50, $75, and $100 with options to direct funds to specific programs including Holiday Program, Shelter Program, G.I.R.L.S. Power Camp, The Little House, and Roots of Empathy Program.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Haldimand & Norfolk Women's Services is a charitable non-profit corporation that operates the only emergency residential shelter and dedicated sexual assault service in Haldimand and Norfolk counties in Ontario, Canada. The organization provides 24-hour crisis intervention, individual and group counselling, sexual assault response, legal advocacy, transitional housing support, school-based counselling, and youth-focused programs for women aged 16+, their children, and youth. All services are provided free of charge to clients and funded through Ontario provincial ministry grants and charitable donations.

Product overview

Haldimand & Norfolk Women's Services is a charitable non-profit organization providing a comprehensive suite of gender-based violence support services. The organization operates the only shelter for abuse survivors in Haldimand & Norfolk, offering emergency residential shelter alongside community-based counselling, legal advocacy, and transitional housing programs. The service portfolio includes: residential programs (Shelter Program, Child & Youth Program); community counselling services (Intake & Urgent Care, Women's Counselling, Sexual Assault & Abuse Program); housing and legal support (Transitional Housing & Support, Legal Advocacy, CAS/VAW Program, Youth Housing Program); youth-focused services (Elementary School Based Counselling, Children Who Witness, S.T.A.R. Program); partnership programs (G.I.R.L.S. Power Camp, Justice for Women Review Team); and a 24-hour crisis support line. All services are provided free of charge to women, their children, and youth aged 16+.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Shelter Program Emergency residential shelter providing 24-hour crisis intervention, counselling, advocacy, support, and safe housing for women aged 16 and older, with or without children, who are fleeing abusive relationships.
• Child and Youth Program Counselling services for mothers and children affected by abuse, including short-term children's counselling, elementary school-based counselling, and youth counselling with support and referral services.
• Intake & Urgent Care Initial assessment and intake service providing trauma-informed support, safety planning, and connection to appropriate programming, with urgent care counselling of up to 6 sessions.
• Women's Counselling Program Free, confidential counselling and therapy for women aged 16 and older who have experienced abuse or sexual assault, structured into Urgent Care (up to 6 sessions), Short-Term Counselling (up to 12 sessions), and Therapy (up to 24 sessions).
• Sexual Assault & Abuse Program Support for women who have experienced recent or historical sexual assault, including 24-hour crisis response, hospital and police accompaniment, priority counselling, court support, and group counselling.
• Transitional Housing & Support Program Goal-oriented program assisting women who have left or are planning to leave abusive relationships to transition to independent living through transition planning, housing assistance, and court support.
• Legal Advocacy & Family Court Support Legal advocates helping women navigate family, criminal, and immigration legal systems with accompaniment to lawyer appointments and court for custody, support, and protection matters.
• CAS/VAW Program Program increasing access to services for women and children involved with the Children's Aid Society of Haldimand and Norfolk, with referrals coordinated through CASHN workers.
• Youth Housing Program Housing support for youth aged 16-21 in CAS care, assisting with independent living skills development, housing plan creation, landlord advocacy, and apartment viewings within Haldimand Norfolk or a 100 km radius.
• Elementary School Based Counselling Individual counselling for children from junior kindergarten to grade 8 who have witnessed woman abuse, provided weekly in public and separate schools throughout Haldimand and Norfolk.
• Children Who Witness Program Eight weekly group sessions for children healing from the trauma of witnessing violence, with a concurrent mother's group called My Circle of Friends covering feelings, safety planning, and self-esteem.
• S.T.A.R. Program (Stop Abuse In Relationships) Counselling, support, and advocacy for teens who have experienced or witnessed abuse, with a weekly S.T.A.R. counsellor available at every secondary school in Haldimand and Norfolk, plus virtual or in-person counselling options.
• G.I.R.L.S. Power Camp Annual two-day empowerment camp for Grade 8 girls featuring self-defense training, high ropes course, and workshops on body image, healthy relationships, and peer pressure, facilitated by young women volunteers aged 16-25.
• Justice for Women Review Team Violence Against Women Coordinating Committee providing training programs (Cut It Out, Make It Our Business), community resources, and case reviews to improve services for women experiencing gender-based violence.
• Crisis/Support Line 24-hour crisis support line (1-800-265-8076) with TTY access via Bell Relay (711), providing immediate crisis intervention, counselling, and referrals for women experiencing abuse.

Quantifiable outcome

• Women and children receive immediate safety and long-term support to escape abusive situations and build independent lives

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Children's Aid Society of Haldimand and Norfolk (CASHN)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCASHN is the sole referral source for the CAS/VAW Program and Youth Housing Program. The organizations work collaboratively to serve women and children involved with child protective services. CASHN workers often attend intake sessions and coordinate housing plans for youth in care transitioning to independent living.
• Western UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWestern University partners with the Justice for Women Review Team to deliver the Make It Our Business (MIOB) workplace training program on gender-based violence. Training sessions are delivered in partnership with the university providing content expertise and credibility to the program.
• Tim Horton's Onondaga FarmsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerG.I.R.L.S. Power Camp is held at Tim Horton's Onondaga Farms location, providing the venue for the annual 2-day camp experience including high ropes course, self-defense training, and overnight accommodations for Grade 8 girls from the community.
• Salon Professionals (Cut It Out Program)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorThe Justice for Women Review Team's Cut It Out program trains salon professionals to recognize signs of intimate partner violence and connect clients with support services. Salons receive free training and educational materials to become community touchpoints for abuse awareness.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Yellow Brick House: Greater Toronto Area women's shelter and sexual-assault center offering shelter, counseling, legal advocacy, and transitional housing — a closely comparable program mix in a different but adjacent region.
• Anova (formerly London Battered Women's Advocacy Centre): Southwestern Ontario shelter and counseling provider for women fleeing abuse, offering a similar continuum of shelter, counseling, and sexual-assault services to a comparable rural/suburban catchment.
• Assaulted Women's Helpline: Ontario-wide crisis line and referral service for women experiencing abuse, operating a comparable 24/7 crisis-intervention channel that overlaps with HNWS's crisis support line.
• Women's Crisis Services of Waterloo Region: Regional Ontario women's shelter operating emergency shelter and counseling programs for abuse survivors in an adjacent southwestern Ontario region, with a comparable mix of residential and community-based services.
• Ernestine's Women's Shelter: Toronto-area women's shelter providing emergency shelter, transitional housing, and counseling for women and children fleeing violence, with a comparable program mix to HNWS.

Broad incumbents

• Interval House (Toronto): Established Toronto-based women's shelter offering emergency shelter, counseling, and advocacy; operates at significantly greater scale than HNWS but delivers directly comparable core services in the same province.
• YWCA Hamilton: Regional YWCA providing women's shelter, housing, and gender-based violence services across the Hamilton-Haldimand-Norfolk area, partially overlapping HNWS's service region with broader programming.

Others

• Ontario Association of Interval & Transition Houses (OAITH): Provincial umbrella organization coordinating Ontario women's shelters and transition houses; serves as a sector coordinator and policy advocate directly relevant to HNWS's operating environment.
• Canadian Women's Foundation: National funder of gender-based violence programs across Canada, including shelters and counseling services; provides grant funding and sector research directly applicable to HNWS's funding model.

Regional players

• Catholic Family Services of Hamilton-Wentworth: Regional counseling and family-services nonprofit in nearby southern Ontario providing counseling, domestic-violence support, and community programs that partially overlap HNWS's mandate.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/hnws.on.ca
• Instagraminstagram.com/g.i.r.l.s.powercamp
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/haldimand-norfolk-women's-svc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Haldimand-Norfolk Women's Svc