Women’s Support – A program for women living with HIV | CATIE - Canada's source for HIV and hepatitis C information

The Women’s Support Program run by the AIDS Committee of Toronto (ACT) offers education, social connection and support for women living with HIV. It aims to reduce social isolation, empower women to navigate the health and social systems, and improve their health. Open to all women who are living with HIV, including cisgender and transgender women, racialized women and women engaged in sex work, the program provides programming and mentorship tailored for women.

ACT provides HIV and sexual health education, prevention and outreach services to promote the independence, dignity, health and well-being of people living with HIV and AIDS and those at increased risk of HIV in Toronto, Ontario.

Why was the program developed?

The Women’s Support Program was created to address the unique challenges and needs of women living with HIV. These challenges may be shaped by gender, experiences as mothers, relationships and cultural experiences. Recognizing these complexities, ACT created the program to provide a dedicated, judgment-free space where women can feel safe, seen and heard, while developing connections with others.

By offering a supportive space for education and connection, the program helps women navigate the social, economic and cultural realities that impact their lives. This tailored approach ensures that they receive more responsive and effective support.

The Women’s Support Program seeks to empower women with knowledge and resources to advocate for themselves and understand their rights (e.g., HIV disclosure, service access, the right to have children should they want to). The program reinforces that all women deserve respect and stigma-free experiences within the health system and larger community. Women are encouraged to support and empower each other and themselves.

How does the program work?

The Women's Support Program offers educational opportunities, social connection and support for women living with HIV through group and one-on-one sessions. The program aims to reduce social isolation, empower women to navigate the health and social system and improve their health. By meeting women where they are, finding common ground and embracing different cultures, the program fosters a sense of belonging and shared support. Building trust and rapport among program attendees is essential to create a safe environment where women feel comfortable sharing their lived experiences and learning from each other.

The Women’s Support Program is open to any women living with HIV in Toronto. Women often get referred and connected to the program through word of mouth from current program participants who they meet in the community. If someone is interested in participating, they contact ACT and will have a general ACT agency intake. They can then be referred to the Women’s Support Program coordinator for a more specific intake discussion. During this discussion, the program coordinator and the potential participant discuss what the participant is looking for and which parts of the program they are interested in (e.g., group sessions, one-on-one sessions). Women can choose the supports and educational opportunities that they are interested in once they join the program.

The Women’s Support Program is staffed by two program coordinators, mentorship facilitators and a program manager. The program coordinators conduct program intake, organize sessions, provide one-on-one support, connect with potential external facilitators and are responsible for the day-to-day running of the program. The program manager oversees all ACT programs. The mentorship facilitators are former or current participants of the program, and in addition to facilitating group sessions, they mentor participants by sharing their experiences and expertise and can provide informal peer support. External facilitators are invited to provide education on specific topics during group sessions. To support participation in the program, child-care subsidies and public transit fare are offered to the women who participate.

Group sessions

The Women’s Support Program offers group sessions six times per month through the Women’s Zone, Coffee Night sessions and Women’s Workshop Series. These group sessions include educational workshops, social events and mentorship opportunities. Women’s Zone and Coffee Night focus on socializing, learning and connecting. This is done through social gatherings and outings, educational opportunities and cooking. The Women’s Workshop Series focuses on capacity building through training and mentorship. Educational opportunities are offered across all group sessions by program staff and external facilitators and can include information on how to navigate social, health and other services, as well as information related to health and living well with HIV. Sessions are offered on a wide range of topics developed in partnership with the women who attend group sessions. Participants can join in person or via Zoom (for events that happen within the ACT offices).

Women’s Zone focuses on physical well-being and takes place in the afternoon. It is a social space (i.e., a fun space!) where women can receive education and participate in activities such as yoga, park outings and trips to the beach. Educational opportunities are provided by external facilitators (e.g., expressive arts therapists) who are invited to provide information on topics that are requested by program participants. Topics can include:

self-care and wellness
yoga workshops
art therapy

Women’s Zone includes one cooking session per month in partnership with Casey House, a specialty hospital providing care to people living with and at risk of HIV. ACT covers the cost of the session and facilitates it. The cooking session brings together women from different cultural backgrounds and showcases their cultures through food. During this session, women work together as a group to set up, shop for and prepare a meal for a group of 15–20 women. The dinners welcome women from local shelters and provide a feeling of “home” and community. Cooking sessions can also be a space to welcome women who are new to the program. Cooking sessions provide informal opportunities for women in the program to get to know each other, have one-to-one conversations, build connections, learn cooking skills and provide support to each other.

Coffee Night focuses on health and general well-being and takes place in the evening. Coffee Night sessions provide an opportunity for women to socialize, build connections and receive education on health-related topics. Educational sessions are facilitated by external facilitators and include doctors, nurses, social workers and nutritionists. Topics can include:

new HIV medications
sexual health and sexually transmitted infections
food and nutrition
chestfeeding for women living with HIV

Women’s Workshop Series (WWS) offers 12 workshops per year and provides a space for capacity building through training, workshops and mentorship. The WWS uses a mentor/mentee approach where current or past participants of the program mentor woman who are new to the program and provide informal peer support. Many of the women who participate in the WWS are new to Canada, and the WWS aims to connect them with women who have been in Canada for longer. The WWS empowers women to learn from each other’s experiences and develop skills, and it helps newcomers to navigate challenges that they may encounter (e.g., navigating health and social systems). Mentorship facilitators provide education and support to participants, creating opportunities for mentors to develop their facilitation and communication skills. Topics can include:

financial planning
employment and career building (e.g., resume writing, interview support)
navigating school enrolment in different programs (e.g., nursing, social work or personal support worker programs)
housing (e.g., renter’s rights, legal recourse to eviction, finding housing, rental applications)
navigating government assistance programs (e.g., Ontario Disability Support Program)

One-on-one support

The Women’s Support Program offers one-one-one support for women who may not feel comfortable in a group setting (e.g., some people do not feel comfortable disclosing their HIV status in a group) or who need additional supports. Support is available by appointment with the program coordinator and can be provided in person, online, over the phone or using a hybrid approach.

One-on-one support can include:

accompaniment to medical and other appointments
service navigation such as accessing social assistance programs (e.g., Ontario Disability Support Program), immigrant and newcomer services (e.g., immigration support) and housing services (e.g., assistance with completing forms)
emotional support for women experiencing isolation

One-on-one support is provided on a case-by-case basis for specific issues and is not meant to provide long-term support. The program coordinator can refer participants to counsellors or other support services for ongoing support if needed at ACT (e.g., counsellors) or other community organizations (e.g., Toronto People With AIDS Foundation).

Required resources

Space to conduct educational workshops, groups and social events (e.g., office meeting rooms)
Two program coordinators – one for the Women's Zone and Coffee Night and one for the Women’s Workshop Series
Mentorship facilitators who are former program participants
External facilitators
Program manager
Partnerships with community organizations for events (e.g., Casey House)
Access to Zoom for participants who wish to join sessions remotely
Food
Transit fare
Child-care subsidies (provided by Casey House)

Evaluation

A yearly client survey with women who attend the program provides demographic information and program outcomes. Results of the 2023–2024 client survey are presented below.

Ages of attendees:

7% were 19–34 years old
51% were 35–49 years old
37% were 50–64 years old
5% were 65 years old or older

Most women who participated in the program were Black (77%), followed by White (10%), East or Southeast Asian (7%) and other ethno-racial backgrounds (6%).

Most the women who participated in the program were cisgender women (67%); the remaining women identified as transgender women, Two-Spirit or gender diverse or did not identify their gender (33%).

When participants were asked about their experiences in the program:

95% said they would access the program moving forward
95% said that the program strengthened their ability to improve their health
95% said that participating in the program increased their knowledge of sexual health and/or harm reduction practices
95% said the group improved their ability to access effective HIV supports
93% said they learned to advocate for their own healthcare needs
34% said that because of participating in the program they accessed additional programs and services (e.g., Casey House, Toronto People With AIDS Foundation, psychotherapy services)

Challenges

It can be challenging to build trust with participants —participants must trust the program coordinators and if they do not, they will probably not participate in the program.
Location can be a challenge if participants do not live close to downtown Toronto to participate in-person at events at the ACT office. Introducing an online option via Zoom has made the program more accessible, although access issues still exist for participants without access to the Internet or a computer.
Confidentiality and privacy can be a challenge as people may be concerned that they will run into someone from their own community/country and do not wish to disclose their HIV status.
Some participants experience language barriers if English is not their first language.
Busy schedules and life changes (e.g., getting a new job) can make it challenging for participants to attend sessions. In these cases, offering one-on-one sessions or other ways to stay connected (e.g., email) becomes especially important.

Lessons learned

Having facilitators and coordinators who can foster trust, maintain confidentiality and build mutual respect is essential to running the program.
Building a good rapport with participants through weekly check-ins helps to build support and trust.
Women from the program have different capacities and expertise but often lack platforms to showcase their skills — the program provides them a way to do this.
Being part of a group can provide women with a space to learn about and become more comfortable with their HIV status by “seeing life beyond HIV”; there is power in learning from the experiences of others.
The program becomes a support system and family for the women who participate.
Although the program doesn’t formally offer peer support, this happens naturally as participants build rapport and trust with each other.
Maintaining a consistent connection and communication with participants outside of the program sessions (e.g., phone calls, text messages and emails) is important to establish consistent support.
Women view the program as a trusted source of information, which is important because misinformation often circulates in the community.