Nancy Romic's office is filled with cards and trinkets from the young women who come through Shifra's doors, as well as donations from generous Burlington residents.

By Hannah Menhel and Noor Menhel

There are many wonderful shelters in the Halton area that provide help to those experiencing homelessness. Whether the situation is caused by domestic violence, financial issues, or familial conflicts, there is most likely a shelter in Halton that can be of assistance. A specific charity whose work has brought hope and light to hundreds of young women is Shifra Homes, located here in Burlington.

Shifra Homes’ mission is to provide young homeless and pregnant women with a safe haven in an empowering environment, as well as the resources and support to ensure that these young women and their babies will lead healthy and happy lives. This charity’s dedication to their work is clear through the lasting impact that the charity leaves on women, as executive director Nancy Romic stays in touch with every single woman she has helped and provides them with the necessary support and guidance to stay on the right track.

This charity has two key programs for women: the residential program and the transitional Seeds of Hope program. Through Shifra Homes’ residential program, young pregnant women are provided a safe, nurturing, and caring home environment. Within this program, Shifra Homes staff works to ensure that all of the women are happy, healthy, achieve their  high school diplomas, a job, and know important life skills such as cooking, cleaning, budgeting and saving, and more. The young women who come to Shifra Homes are often coming out of traumatic situations that might include poverty, food insecurity, abuse, and human trafficking. 

Throughout residents’ stay at Shifra Homes, they work with midwives, obstetricians, doulas, lactation consultants, public health nurses, and family home visitors pre- and post-delivery. They are also provided with basic necessities such as cooked meals, groceries, legal aid, eye and dentist appointments, as well as transportation to and from any appointments. The young women contribute to the running of the house via chores and an assigned night to cook for the whole house each week. 

The living room at Shifra Homes, filled with books (and baby toys, off to the right).
One of Shifra’s shared bedrooms (some are shared, some are singles), for two young women and bassinets for their babies (left). The garden all set up for babies and toddlers who come back for a visit with their moms (right).

Women at Shifra Homes have access to wellness programs, which allow them to consult psychotherapists and addictions counsellors, and find relaxation in art therapy and massage therapy. These factors all collaborate to provide residents at Shifra Homes a strong foundation of skills, hobbies, and resources that they can apply to lead strong independent lives with their babies. “My big thing is making this home,” says Romic. “Hearing them laugh fills my heart.” Romic’s strategy seems to be working; young women leave for appointments or outings with a chorus of “love you’s” flowing to and from Romic.

Because many of the young women have experienced trauma, their first few days in Shifra Homes are often difficult. “If they haven’t known trust or love before, it’s hard to accept it as real,” explains Romic.

Once their stint with the residential program is complete, usually when their babies are around six months old, the Seeds of Hope program is available to transition the residents of Shifra Homes to their independent lives. This program provides the graduates of the residential program assistance with housing fees, support with post-secondary tuition, as well as continuous access to the services included in the residential program, for at least a year. Most importantly, Shifra Homes provides all of their residents with a home and family that they are always welcome to come back to — and they very often do drop in to visit, says Romic. Romic’s continuous communication and support for graduated residents helps them to succeed and reach for the best that they can be. 

One young resident, who we’ll call R. for privacy, walked into Romic’s office, her face beaming, to show Romic her newly-earned high school diploma. “I don’t know where I’d be without Shifra,” R. says.

In 2022, Shifra Homes helped 13 women, with a grand total of 14 babies born (yes, there were twins!).  In order to further accommodate the influx of homeless pregnant women, in July of 2022, the charity was able to acquire a second residence. This granted Shifra Homes the ability to enhance their range of programs/services to further support the Halton community and house more mothers and their babies, though Romic noted that they have a waitlist 70-deep with young women from as far away as Mississauga and Hamilton, as there is no other program in the region like Shifra.

The baby wall (left) of all babies who have come through Shifra Homes has had to grow onto the stairwell (right).
The bright and tidy kitchen, where everyone gets a turn making a weekly house meal.
  • Bright signs with
Bright and uplifting signs are dotted around the home.

Interested in supporting this cause? There are numerous ways that you can get involved (also listed on Shifra’s website shifrahomes.com). 

These are merely some of the ways that you can contribute: 

1. Make donations. Donations might be anything from financial donations to physical item donations. Shifra Homes has a yearly wish list of items they need for anyone who is able to make such a donation (accessible through their website). Moreover, they also have the convenient option to send in monetary donations online with the option of anonymity. You may set up a recurring monthly payment in the amount of your choice or donate once. 

2. Sponsor families. Through donating monthly, you are providing aid for a mother and her child, including security in terms of rent, groceries, daycare and/or education. 

3. Volunteer. While gaining valuable experience, you can choose to volunteer your time at Shifra simply by completing a volunteer application and emailing your resume to the executive director: nancyromic@shifrahomes.com. 

There are many opportunities available, including, but not limited to:

  • Cooking
  • Tutoring
  • Driving residents to appointments
  • Helping residents finding apartments
  • Babysitting
  • Organizing in-kind donations in the home
  • Gardening and yard maintenance

4. Host fundraisers. Hosting a fundraiser on Shifra Homes’ behalf is a great way to get involved, especially if you are looking for a unique and fun way to approach this! 

Shifra Homes is one of the local charitable organizations being supported by the current Burlington Helping Burlington city-wide fundraiser and food drive. Burlington Helping Burlington is a three-month campaign, set to end on Dec. 31, 2023; events include a Pancakes and P.J.s with the Grinch event at Luk’s Diner (on Dec. 12 and 18, 5 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. both days), and pay-what-you-can photo sessions by local photographer Ruchi Sachdeva (the next will be on Dec. 22 at the Nook Studio).

Homeless shelters such as Shifra Homes are vital for many people in society today, providing care, shelter, and a new beginning. Shifra’s ability to provide is made possible through the unwavering support and generous contributions of our compassionate community. If you are interested in donating to or learning more about Shifra Homes, feel free to visit their website (shifrahomes.com) or give them a call (905-681-9633).