YWCA highlights women's struggles to access services in Sudbury
The YWCA in Sudbury says there are several services available for women in the community, but the organization says accessing those services can be challenging for some.
The YWCA said various agencies support women and families in a variety of situations, including leaving a domestic relationship, accessing education, finding housing or looking for a job.
The executive director said geographically, Greater Sudbury is large, which can pose difficulty when finding resources for help.
“The majority of the services that are available in our community are within the downtown core,” Marlene Gorman said.
“So, if we look at the reality for women and families who live outside of that area who have to access services, it’s much more of a challenge.”
Gorman said another barrier is that many women have to navigate the system with their children.
“They don’t have the luxury of a daycare or a babysitter to leave their children with, or family support,” she said.
As part of International Women’s Week, the YWCA in Sudbury hosted an event to point out the challenges when getting help from various agencies.
The event, held on Wednesday, was called "Her Amazing Race." Teams were given clues to lead them to different women’s organizations across the city.
The goal was raise awareness about the challenges of trying to access services, while mimicking the travel reality television show, "The Amazing Race."