Annually, during the holiday season, the Faculty of Health Sciences & Wellness donates to Ernestine's Women's Shelter; a non-profit organization that provides advocacy, crisis intervention and shelter to women and gender diverse individuals and their children experiencing violence. 

Our Canada Helps page is now live with the goal of raising $2,000, and we invite the entire Humber College community to donate FHSW Annual Fundraiser for Ernestine’s 2023.

The holiday season can bring with it added stress and anxiety for survivors of gender-based violence, and your donations will help ensure that Ernestine's can continue to provide support to those in the shelter and out in the community. 

If you have the means, please take a moment to contribute what you can (tax receipts are provided) between now and Friday, December 22. Every donation, no matter how small, truly helps, whether you can contribute $10, $25, or more.

Thank you in advance.

Your friends in the Faculty of Health Sciences & Wellness

About Ernestine’s Women’s Shelter

Ernestine’s Women’s Shelter was opened in 1983 by a group of community members who saw a need for a safe place for women and children fleeing violence and abuse.

Ernestine’s is a non-profit organization that provides advocacy, crisis intervention and shelter to Women, Two-Spirit, Trans, Non-binary and Gender Diverse individuals and their children experiencing violence. Our services are evidence-informed and driven by values of inclusion, anti-racism, anti-oppression and respect. We seek to interrupt violence through education and advocacy for social justice.

Ernestine’s is a 32-bed emergency shelter with 14 private bedrooms.

We provide a home for individuals and their children – who stay with us from six months to over one year – until we find appropriate housing for them. During their stay, we provide them with all the necessities they might need (new bedding, clothes, school supplies, toiletries, baby supplies, prescriptions not covered by OHIP, loaded Presto cards, and anything else they might need).

In addition to shelter clients, we support over 600 adults and children from across the GTA through our Outreach Program. The shelter’s Outreach clients have access to counselling services and programs as well as the shelter’s on-site donation rooms and food bank.

We provide a range of holistic services to our shelter and Outreach clients. Our services and programs include 24-hour crisis assistance, individual and group-based counselling support, skills exchange programs, as well as legal, housing, and immigration support and advocacy.

Since we opened our doors in 1983, we have supported over 15,000 individuals and children.

Thanks to our supporters, last year we were able to:

• Respond to 1,258 crisis calls
• Provide shelter and support to 50 adults and 35 children, who called Ernestine’s their home
• Offer lifelines to 286 adults and 418 children in the community through our Outreach Programs
• Provide 397 check-ins and supportive engagement to children and youth, who form the majority of our clients
• 214 adults and 401 children were serviced as a result of the 637 times Ernestine’s food support services were accessed. Ernestine’s has continued to see an increased need for our services since the beginning of the pandemic.

As part of last week’s vibrant celebration of the International Education Week across Humber, the Faculty of Liberal Arts & Sciences in collaboration with the Humber Vietnamese Student Association hosted two Viet Quintessence events, taking our community on an immersive journey into Vietnamese culture and heritage.

Last Tuesday, November 14 at Lakeshore Campus and Thursday, November 16 at North Campus, attendees were indulged in fun folk games, marveled at cultural decorations and captivating photography, and savoured the flavours of authentic Vietnamese cuisine, including delightful Vietnamese spring rolls. Vietnamese students and staff, adorned in the traditional Ao Dai attire, exemplified our shared commitment to cultural appreciation and understanding. Humber students and exchange students from Vietnam joined hands collaboratively orchestrating the Viet Quintessence. The events proved to be a remarkable achievement and a valuable learning experience for volunteer students, enhancing their leadership and organizational skills through event planning, budget management, and execution.

Moreover, these events provided an exclusive platform for students to meet with Dr. Candace Iron, one of the faculty members who leads the Summer Program in Vietnam, which allows students to travel to Vietnam, where they attend classes at two national universities and explore the country, learning about its history, culture, and contemporary reality through a global immersive experience. Students who participated in the program in previous years also shared their transformative experiences, offering valuable insights to interested attendees.

Reflecting on the event, one of our students enthusiastically shared, "The Viet Quintessence event was a fantastic cultural journey! The atmosphere, the games, the food - everything was incredible. Imagine how wonderful it will be to have an immersive experience in the country!"

The Viet Quintessence events were a testament to the power of cultural exchange, offering an enriching experience and celebrating the diversity within the Humber community during the International Education Week 2023.

Learn more about our 2024 Summer Program in Vietnam.

The Temporary Use of Space for Events Policy, in effect since July 2019, remains in place.  

All events and activities using space on campus require a permit which will be issued by the booking authority, subject to inspection by the department of Public Safety or other college officials upon demand. This will ensure that all bookings have been vetted, meet risk management guidelines and are logged properly so that in the event of an emergency we can take appropriate action. 

Some examples of the types of events/activities that are impacted by the policy/procedure are (but are not limited to): 

• Vendor sales in the concourse i.e. Valentine’s Day gifts, graduation rings, flowers etc. 
• Student/department led bake/craft sales and/or project displays 
• Art shows 
• Conference activities 
• Student film shoots 
• Information tabling 
• Performances 
• Any use of space outside of regular business hours 
• Etc. 

All external requests for booking space on campus will be managed by Humber’s Central Events Office and should be referred to an Event Logistics Liaison at hcs@humber.ca. External organizations may be referred to humber.ca/conference to request a quote. Internal requests for booking space will continue to be verified and processed through the Registration Office Scheduling Department via a Temporary Use of Space Application form. If a request is deemed to be external, it will be forwarded to the Central Events Office. 

We look forward to hosting more events throughout the college over the coming months.

Pedorthic services are available at the North Campus Humber Athletic Therapy Clinic, room A127, every other Wednesday.

Services provided by Janice Laberge, Certified Pedorthist. Services available for all staff and students. 

For full-time staff, your 2023 benefits will be ending soon and you are eligible for one pair of orthotics and four pairs of compression socks. Please note that a valid doctor's note is needed to submit. You can still come and see our pedorthist but you will need a note to submit your claim.

Contact the Athletic Therapy clinic to book an appointment at x4025 or email athletictherapist@humber.ca.

Any further questions regarding your benefits can be sent to our pedorthist at janice@selamathealthcare.com.