We did it!

YWCA Hamilton wraps up the #WOMENBUILHAMILTON campaign

We asked the community to help us build a Hamilton first – and you answered!

Thanks to the generosity of the Hamilton and Halton communities, YWCA Hamilton is proud to share that our #WOMENBUILDHAMILTON campaign in support of the new Putman Family YWCA was a success! We have raised $5 million to cover the almost $25 million cost of the Putman Family YWCA, and as a result, have ensured that 50 women and women-led families are provided a permanent, affordable, beautiful home.

At last year’s Women of Distinction Awards, we kicked off the #WOMENBUILDHAMILTON campaign for the Putman Family YWCA, our new state-of-the-art affordable housing building and community hub on Ottawa Street. The 50-unit building is the only affordable housing in Hamilton dedicated specifically to women and women-led families.

Over the past year, we received 2,220 donations from over 860 donors, as well as in-kind charitable support adding up to over $60,000. The community hosted fundraising events, hosted our TipTap Machines, and came together in support of our state-of-the art new build.

Putman is now a busy neighbourhood hub and houses women and families of many diverse backgrounds – including Indigenous women, women with developmental disabilities, those who have experienced violence, and women who have experienced homelessness. It is a gathering place, a space for innovation and technology, a place for youth and seniors to gather, and, most importantly, a home for the women, families, and gender-diverse people who live there.

We would like to thank our #WOMENBUILDHAMILTON campaign co-chairs – Erin Dunham, CEO & Co-Owner of The Other Bird, and Peter John VanDyk, Partner, PV&V Insurance Centre Ltd., for their tireless work on this campaign, as well as members of our campaign advisory committee: Bernie & George McCarter, Brenda Yates, Charaya Thach, Diane & Ward Campbell, Dr. Juliet Daniel, Peter Rumble, Ruth Todd, Shendal Yalchi, and Victoria Walzak-Mosca & Dean Mosca. We couldn’t have done it without you!

YWCA Hamilton is proud to be a housing leader in Hamilton. We’ve been building Hamilton for over 130 years – from our first YWCA girls’ club in 1889 to our current innovative, multi-service organization, we foresee and respond to the evolving needs of our community.

We know that with the support of community members like you, we can continue to ensure that all women, families, and gender-diverse people in Hamilton have a safe, permanent, affordable home.