Begin To Dream Again

Begin to Dream Again is a registered non-profit that focuses on serving homeless shelters as a way to help homeless women and victims of domestic violence. As funding has shifted from temporary, emergency housing to long term, permanent housing, it has left shelters with even less funds for operational expenses for goods, services and programming beyond providing a basic meal and a place to stay. Recognizing that the homeless have more than physical needs in terms of food and shelter, Begin to Dream Again has developed cost efficient and cost effective programs to meet some of the other needs homeless women have. Services Include: Personal Development – living in a shelter can be a very boring and unstimulating experience. Begin to Dream Again leverages that time by recruiting volunteers to provide workshops on a range of topics such as financial literacy, career development e.g. job readiness, Dress for Success, interviewing, resume writing etc. Recreational Activities – living in a shelter can be depressing. Begin to Dream Again helps lift the spirit of the residents living in the shelters by organizing volunteers to organize and participate in activities such as paint night, game night, makeovers and other activities. Personal Care Items - basic necessities such as personal hygiene items are a luxury the women may need but may not have the funds to purchase or the woman may have very limited resources and having basic necessities provided, helps them stretch the scarce resources they have. Given limited operational funds shelters may simply not be able to afford to provide these items for the residents. Begin to Dream Again organizes other annual activities such winter coat and pocketbook drives.