Welcome to Ingamo Family Homes

Who we are:

Ingamo Family Homes is a transitional support program. The goal of this second stage housing program is to assist abused women and their children make the shift from a life of fear and abuse to one of security, confidence and independence.

Ingamo opened its doors in March, 1989 to fill a gap in services in the community of Oxford County and beyond to offer an alternative to women choosing to leave a life of abuse. Due to isolation, risk or insufficient income, women did not have a lot of choice for long-term housing after a six-week stay at a shelter and often had to return to the abusive partner.

Our objective is to break that cycle of abuse and be the catalyst and resource to support abused women and their children to a new opportunity in life.

Ingamo Family Homes is committed to a non-violent, anti-oppressive, anti-racist environment.

Ingamo Family Homes assists women and their children with the transition by offering a supportive program with Rent-Geared-To-Income (RGI) housing.

Ingamo Family Homes is a 21-unit second stage housing project that provides safe affordable housing to women and their children who have experienced abuse at the hands of an intimate partner.

We provide temporary (up to 1 year) affordable housing in a more secure townhouse complex along with individual and group supports to assist women in accomplishing short and long-term goals.

We can assist with ongoing safety by:

developing individual safety plans
providing information, support and advocacy with the systems that impact on women’s lives
developing an understanding of what has happened
accompanying women to justice-related, social service or legal meetings
assisting with completion of forms and applications
helping to accessing community support
support with different life challenges and successes
finding and securing financial resources
assisting in securing permanent affordable hosing
providing parenting support
providing children’s activities and programs

Ingamo had been a very active member of the Family Violence Co-ordinating Committee (FVCC) since 1989. The purpose of this committee was to provide a coordinated approach in service delivery between services and agencies addressing the issue of violence towards women and their children in Oxford County. It was at this table that the concept of a Domestic Assault Review Team (DART) was raised. The group collectively put a successful proposal to the Ontario Trillium Foundation. Ingamo Family Homes was selected by the FVCC to be the designated manager of funds to DART for the first three years. The FVCC changed its name to DART – Oxford, and is funded by grant monies obtained through the Ontario Trillium Foundation, the Ministry of the Attorney General and most recently, the Ministry of Community and Social Services.

In addition to Ingamo’s experiences managing the DART funds, Ingamo has managed a number of other successful projects. In February, 1990, Ingamo Family Homes began a pilot project offering pre-employment training over a 20-week period to 14 abused women on social assistance. Funding for this project came from Employment and Immigration Canada. The success of the pilot mushroomed to a year-long program where 407 women participated in the first year. The program grew out of its original location and has relocated as a walk-in centre on Dundas Street, Woodstock, under the new name of Women’s Employment Resource Centre.

In 1992 Ingamo initiated a study through the Ministry of the Solicitor General to investigate the unique needs of rural women and explore options for developing community-based services appropriate for the rural environment. The report entitled “Cultivating Courage: The Needs and Concerns of Women Who were Abused by their Partners” contains 19 recommendations for improving services in rural areas.

The 1995 year was a significant year for all second-stage housing providers as the Ministry of Community and Social Services cut all program funding. Since this time the Board of Directors has made a commitment to maintain second stage housing that can provide programs to abused women and their children in an effort to break the cycle of abuse.



	Who we are: Ingamo Family Homes is a transitional support program. The goal of this second stage housing program is to assist abused women and their children make the shift from a life of fear and abuse to one of security, confidence and independence. Ingamo opened its doors in March, 1989 to fill a gap in services in the community of Oxford County and beyond to offer an alternative to women choosing to leave a life of abuse. Due to isolation, risk or insufficient income, women did not have a lot of choice for long-term housing after a six-week stay at a shelter and often had to return to the abusive partner. Our objective is to break that cycle of abuse and be the catalyst and resource to support abused women and their children to a new opportunity in life. Ingamo Family Homes is committed to a non-violent, anti-oppressive, anti-racist environment. Ingamo Family Homes assists women and their children with the transition by offering a supportive program with Rent-Geared-To-Income (RGI) housing. Ingamo Family Homes is a 21-unit second stage housing project that provides safe affordable housing to women and their children who have experienced abuse at the hands of an intimate partner. We provide temporary (up to 1 year) affordable housing in a more secure townhouse complex along with individual and group supports to assist women in accomplishing short and long-term goals. We can assist with ongoing safety by: developing individual safety plans providing information, support and advocacy with the systems that impact on women’s lives developing an understanding of what has happened accompanying women to justice-related, social service or legal meetings assisting with completion of forms and applications helping to accessing community support support with different life challenges and successes finding and securing financial resources assisting in securing permanent affordable hosing providing parenting support providing children’s activities and programs Ingamo had been a very active member of the Family Violence Co-ordinating Committee (FVCC) since 1989. The purpose of this committee was to provide a coordinated approach in service delivery between services and agencies addressing the issue of violence towards women and their children in Oxford County. It was at this table that the concept of a Domestic Assault Review Team (DART) was raised. The group collectively put a successful proposal to the Ontario Trillium Foundation. Ingamo Family Homes was selected by the FVCC to be the designated manager of funds to DART for the first three years. The FVCC changed its name to DART – Oxford, and is funded by grant monies obtained through the Ontario Trillium Foundation, the Ministry of the Attorney General and most recently, the Ministry of Community and Social Services. In addition to Ingamo’s experiences managing the DART funds, Ingamo has managed a number of other successful projects. In February, 1990, Ingamo Family Homes began a pilot project offering pre-employment training over a 20-week period to 14 abused women on social assistance. Funding for this project came from Employment and Immigration Canada. The success of the pilot mushroomed to a year-long program where 407 women participated in the first year. The program grew out of its original location and has relocated as a walk-in centre on Dundas Street, Woodstock, under the new name of Women’s Employment Resource Centre. In 1992 Ingamo initiated a study through the Ministry of the Solicitor General to investigate the unique needs of rural women and explore options for developing community-based services appropriate for the rural environment. The report entitled “Cultivating Courage: The Needs and Concerns of Women Who were Abused by their Partners” contains 19 recommendations for improving services in rural areas. The 1995 year was a significant year for all second-stage housing providers as the Ministry of Community and Social Services cut all program funding. Since this time the Board of Directors has made a commitment to maintain second stage housing that can provide programs to abused women and their children in an effort to break the cycle of abuse.