A once supportive place turned harmful
I am absolutely heartbroken to have to share my experience with the Women’s Centre of Calgary. This place, once a safe and supportive space for women, has completely changed under the new leadership.What began as a place of trust and help quickly became a nightmare.
I was working with a volunteer, who was genuinely trying to help me navigate some very difficult personal challenges. Staff just gave me useless lists of unhelpful resources. This volunteer went out of her way to provide support and advocate for me.
Sadly, I was contacted by a lawyer, telling me that this volunteer, who has quit, is being harassed by the Women’s Centre of Calgary and could no longer communicate with anyone associated with the Centre. Because of this, I lost housing support, my welfare cheque due to no address now, and my life has completely unraveled. I am now facing the very real fear that I could lose my child because of this chaos. All because this person dared to speak her own personal truth.
It’s shocking how an organization that claims to help women can cause so much harm. The leadership here seems more interested in silencing people and covering up their issues than actually supporting those who need it most.
But what’s even worse is the financial mismanagement. Looking at their public financial statements, it’s shocking how little money actually goes toward the programs that should be helping vulnerable women. Instead, the bulk of the funds seem to be going toward bloated salaries for management, while the people who need the support the most are left in the dust. How can an organization claim to be for women when so little of their funding actually goes to the cause?
This place has lost its way. It’s no longer a safe space for women — it’s a place of intimidation and misuse of resources.
Please, be cautious before trusting this organization. The new leadership and their priorities are doing more harm than good.
Deeply depressed.
