Elizabeth Fry Society of Ottawa

We are excited to share that E Fry Ottawa is one of the recipients of a Dollar a Day Foundation grant!

This support will benefit residents at JF Norwood House, our 15-bed transitional residence supporting justice-impacted women and gender-diverse people. The funding helps sustain vital mental health programming and more.

Thank you to the A Dollar A Day for helping our residents build healthier, more independent futures. 🙏

As we step into 2026, we want to celebrate what your support makes possible:

- Safe housing and nourishing meals that give clients the energy and stability to benefit from programming.
- Assistance with securing and keeping stable housing, building essential life skills, and navigating the community support system.
- Legal navigation and advocacy to ensure fair treatment.
- Restorative justice programs that focus on healing, accountability, and community reintegration.

Your donations aren’t just gifts, they’re a chance for someone to rewrite their story.

https://efryottawa.com/donate/

Thank you and happy new year from the team at E Fry Ottawa!

This holiday season we’re holding space for everyone:

Those celebrating, those resting, and those simply getting through the day.

Thank you to our community of supporters, advocates, and frontline staff who make healing and second chances possible.

Warmest wishes from all of us at E Fry Ottawa.

Thank you to everyone who participated in Where I Thrive's
Charity Ride for The Elizabeth Fry Society of Ottawa last month, and a special thanks to Katie YOW City Style for leading the ride!

A total of almost $900 was raised in support of women and gender-diverse people in Ottawa who have been justice-impacted.

Thank you to the Gender and Crime Lab at Carleton University for organizing, and raising both awareness and hope that new beginnings are possible with the right resources.

💜 Inspired by this ride? You can still support by donating or reaching out to us directly if you have a fundraiser idea of your own.

Have you signed up to be part of ?

There are three ways you can support:
1️⃣ Sign up to join the newsletter: https://efryottawa.com/whatittakes/
2️⃣ Spread the word — share our posts
3️⃣ Donate to help break the cycle of justice system involvement: https://efryottawa.com/donate/

Every action contributes to to break the cycle of justice system involvement for women and gender-diverse people in Ottawa. Thank you for you ongoing support!

Cleaning out your closet? You can help keep our clients warm!

Capital Pride is here!

This year’s Summer Festival runs from August 16 to 24, and we’re excited to celebrate with our community.

At E Fry Ottawa, we stand with our gender-diverse clients, staff, and the entire 2SLGBTQI+ community, this week and every week.

Wishing everyone a joyful, safe, and love-filled Capital Pride!

❤️🧡💛💚💙💜

August 10 is Prisoners’ Justice Day, a time to remember those who have died in custody and to reflect on what it means to truly support those still navigating incarceration and its lasting impacts.

At E Fry Ottawa, we walk alongside women and gender-diverse people who have experienced the realities of incarceration: solitary confinement, release with nowhere to go, trauma that was never met with care, only punishment.

This isn’t just about statistics or systemic gaps. It’s about people:
Indigenous women held in maximum security for minor charges.
Mothers separated from their children.
People with mental health or substance use challenges denied care and locked in cells...

As a feminist, abolitionist organization, we believe in something better: housing over handcuffs. Care over control. Community over cages.

Today, we honour the lives lost. And we recommit to working toward lasting change, however long it takes, and however hard it is.

Thank you for standing with us.

World Day Against Trafficking in Persons was earlier this week, but the realities it highlights are ones we see every day.

At E Fry Ottawa, this isn’t just a date on the calendar. Many of the young people and adults we support have lived through trafficking and some are still at risk. What’s heartbreaking is that many don’t even know that’s what happened to them.

Trafficking doesn’t always look the way people expect. It can involve forced s*x or labour, but it can also show up as control over someone’s housing, money, movement, or choices. It’s a gendered crime that often hides in plain sight and thrives in silence.

Ottawa has the highest rate of human trafficking in Canada after Toronto. And for too many survivors, support comes too late, if at all.

Our Youth Reintegration and Diversion program meets justice-impacted young people where they are. And through our partnership with the CORATH initiative, youth at risk of or experiencing trafficking have access to trauma-informed care and other needed supports.

Thank you for standing with us and with every person still finding the words to name what they’ve been through.

If you or someone you know needs support, CORATH is here 24/7. You can text 613-576-4006, call 1-888-918-0186, or email [email protected].