Y des femmes de Montréal

Purpose

Through this 12-month project, the YWCA Montreal will expand the UNIQUE project in order to strengthen the GBV sector. It will amplify the promising practice at the heart of the structured multidisciplinary UNIQUE support program for women going through separation or divorce, a period recognized as a time of increased vulnerability. It will address the legal issues and challenges to accessing justice specifically faced by these women by promoting a better understanding of their rights. This will empower them in the context of separation or divorce so that they can navigate the legal system with greater clarity, confidence and security. To achieve this, the project will include supporting two cohorts of participants through a course of 12 workshops in addition to providing intensive support spread over several weeks, combining thematic conferences, practical activities, discussion groups and regular follow-ups. In order to promote a safer and more autonomous transition to a new post-separation life stage, the new access to justice component will complement the five existing intervention components within the UNIQUE holistic model, namely 1) basic needs and social protection, 2) livelihoods and employability, 3) financial inclusion and personal finance management, 4) social empowerment and building relationships, and 5) health and physical and mental well-being. The YWCA Montreal will make the various content related to the promising UNIQUE practice available online to professionals in the field to allow them to reproduce or amplify it.