Our Mission and Vision
Optimism Place Women’s Shelter and Support Services supports women alone or with children to live free of abuse by providing shelter and confidential, non-judgmental services. We are committed to ending the cycle of abuse and violence by raising awareness through prevention, intervention, education and advocacy.
Our History
Photo of Optimism Place in the evening
In the 1980’s, a group of people met to discuss the idea of creating a women’s shelter in Perth County. The Stratford steering committee commissioned a needs assessment, got the confirmation it expected, then began canvassing local churches and service clubs for financial support.
The Optimist Club of Stratford announced it would buy a house that could be used as a women’s shelter, then lease it back to the committee for $1 a year. To both honour the club’s generosity and express the feeling the shelter hoped to impart to the women who’d be staying there, the name Optimism Place was chosen.
Optimism Place officially opened in May 1983. Then, in 1994 Optimism Place was able to build a new, larger, bright, and fully accessible shelter on the city limits, thanks to provincial funding. We have been operating at this location ever since, serving more than 100 women and children a year.
We want to help. - Services and Support
Optimism Place offers an array of services and supports to women in need. All of these services are available on an outreach basis, meaning you do not need to be living in-shelter to access our services. They are available to any woman in Perth County. Our staff work closely with women to ensure that they receive the support required to meet their needs.
Where shelter or supports are not available, we will do our best to help you find the support that you need. We are happy to conduct a warm transfer and connect you to a more appropriate referral or resource.
