Frequently Asked Questions
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What is a Women’s Centre?
The NSWC is a Women's Centre, which is distinct from a women's shelter, emergency, transitional, or other form of housing program.
Many community-based Women’s Centres in British Columbia were started in the 1970s or early 1980s with two main purposes:
a.) to provide a space for empowerment, connection and support as well as much needed programs and services for women in the community, and
b.) to advance the social, economic, political and legal status of women by advocating for social change on a broad range of issues.
Most Centres today still follow these purposes by operating from feminist perspectives and by responding to the current needs and issues of women in their communities.
If you are seeking emergency or transitional shelter, please visit North Shore Crisis Services Society, Lookout Housing Society, Atira Women's Resource Society, or get in touch with NSWC staff for more information about local housing resources.
Is the NSWC only for women experiencing abuse?
Violence against women is an extremely prevalent and serious issue for any community, including the North Shore. Unfortunately, at least 1 in 3 women or girls will experience some form of violence in their lifetime, whether it is physical, emotional, verbal, sexual, or financial. Most often, this violence takes place within an intimate relationship such as dating, marriage, or common-law partnership or within a family or extended-family context. It affects women and girls across backgrounds, religions, cultures, countries, ethnicities, sexual orientations, abilities and incomes. For these reasons, the NSWC is committed to providing programs and services to women who have experienced violence and to work toward ending violence against women by raising public awareness and advocating for relevant social policies and practices.
The North Shore Women’s Centre strives to be a safe and supportive space for women from all backgrounds and addresses a wide range of experiences – violence and abuse being only one aspect. We welcome all women to the Centre to access information, resources or support on any issue and to participate in our many different programs. Within our mandate and capacity, we will do our best to provide appropriate supports or offer referrals to other organizations.
Is the NSWC confidential?
The NSWC is a confidential service for women, girls and gender-diverse individuals. The privacy and safety of our clients is of the utmost priority for our staff, volunteers, and contractors. Any information that is not publicly available will be kept strictly confidential. Many of our services, including our Drop-in Resource Centre, do not require any identity verification measures, such as membership, ID presentation, or a check-in. This means no record is kept of your visit. In the case of appointments, intake forms for programs that require them, sensitive documents, and other services which do require your name and personal information, the NSWC will not share this information with any third parties without your express permission. If you should see a NSWC member in public, our staff will not acknowledge you unless you approach us first in order to respect your privacy, safety, and confidentiality.
Does the Centre accept donations of clothing or furniture?
Currently, the North Shore Women’s Centre does not have the capacity to accept most donations of clothing or furniture.
Instead, for clothing donations we recommend contacting the Good Stuff Connection Clothing Program and Thrift Store operated by North Shore Crisis Services Society, the agency that runs SAGE house for women leaving abusive relationships. For clothing or furniture donations, we recommend contacting Helping Families in Need Society. Click here to read more about other organizations and locations to direct these donations.
We are able to accept some smaller donations of women’s clothing, particularly warm winter coats, fleece jackets, other weather-specific attire, and new socks and underwear. Please contact us in advance.
The North Shore Women’s Centre also warmly welcomes cash donations, donations of fiction books by women authors, non-fiction books on issues of interest to women, printing paper and other stationary items, toiletries for distribution, non-perishable food for distribution, and small gifts for women and children. Click here to read more about in-kind donations and our donation wishlist.
If you are unsure about a possible donation or wish to donate something a little out of the ordinary, please contact us to inquire about our need and capacity at that time. We thank all donors for their consideration and generosity.
How is the NSWC funded?
The North Shore Women’s Centre receives funding from a variety of sources, principally: government and foundation grants, donations, and fundraising events.
At the end of April 2004, the North Shore Women’s Centre, along with all Centres across BC, had their core operating funding cut by 100%. The on-going contract for women’s centre services with the Provincial Government was not renewed. As a result, our Centre had to seek other sources of funding, and began organizing fundraising opportunities, including fundraising events. One of our largest annual fundraising events is our International Women's Day Celebration and Benefit, which we have been hosting with community partners since 2016. Additionally, 2023 is our 50th anniversary, and we will be hosting various fundraisers throughout the year to celebrate half a century of service to the North Shore and to raise funds to meet the growing needs of our community.
How long has the Centre been around?
The North Shore Women’s Centre was founded in 1973 by a group of women who were taking a course called, “Explorations” at Capilano College (now Capilano University) in North Vancouver. 2023 will mark 50 years since the NSWC's foundation! These women are called the Founding "F" Team, and remain passionate and dedicated feminists in our community. You can read more about the NSWC's 'herstory' on the North Shore here.
Are men allowed in the Centre?
The North Shore Women’s Centre is a safe space for women, female youth, women with children, and gender-diverse individuals including Trans and Non-binary community members who self-identify as women or face harm under patriarchy.
Recognizing the existing inequities, social barriers and forms of oppression facing women, the NSWC is focused on providing support, addressing needs and engaging in social advocacy on behalf of these members of our communities.
We acknowledge our male allies and encourage men to participate in the movement towards equality by challenging sexism and other oppressions individually, culturally and institutionally, and sincerely appreciate the support of the male members of our community.
Are children allowed in the Centre?
The North Shore Women’s Centre is a child-friendly space, and we strive to make our facility and services accessible without barriers to women in the community. We welcome and encourage individuals and clients with children to bring them to the drop-in resource centre; we have a children's corner, featuring toys and books for children of a variety of ages. We do ask that children coming to the centre behave appropriately for their age, to respect the experience of all of our clients. Many of our programs geared towards parents and mothers also have free childcare components; please inquire with a staff member for more information about this offering in relation to specific programs.
Are pets allowed in the Centre?
The North Shore Women’s Centre does allow well-behaved, non-service animal pets. To respect the experiences of all of our clients, the appropriateness of non-service animal pets may be assessed on a case-to-case basis. We ask that all pets entering our drop-in facility be well-behaved (are safe around humans of all ages, can follow commands, will recall when asked, are toilet trained, and are not noisy, etc.) for the safety and comfort of all of our clients and visitors.
What happens at the Centre?
The Centre is a drop-in space where women from different backgrounds and experiences come to access resources, programs, support, information and answers to questions they may have regarding a wide range of issues. Women can explore the space on their own, speak directly with a staff member, browse our library, access laundry facilities, use our public access computers and phone, and have tea and coffee.
How can I support the Centre or get involved?
There are many ways to get involved with the centre and we would love to have you be a part of our organization. Depending on your area of interest, capacity to support and available time, we have a number of possibilities for your contribution. You could:
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Become a member and be a part of a diverse network of women;
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Join our mailing list and receive monthly emails about our workshops and other special events;
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Donate to the centre and contribute directly to financially sustaining our ongoing programs and services;
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Or become a volunteer, contribute your unique set of skills and work with us one-on-one to assist in maintaining the centre.
Whatever you decide, we welcome you to the North Shore Women's Centre community!
Where is the Centre located and when is it open?
The Centre is located at 131 East 2nd Street in North Vancouver. Half a block east of Lonsdale Avenue, and 3 blocks North from the Seabus terminal. It looks like a small house and is light blue in colour.
The Centre is open from:
Monday - Thursday 10:00am - 3:00pm