The journey that brought us here, built by courage and community:
1983: our founder, June Taylor, began raising funds to open a women’s shelter
Our founder, June Taylor, who is a survivor of gender-based violence herself, contacted funding sources via letter for years. She worked tirelessly to raise enough funds and resources to open a refuge for women affected by gender-based violence in her local community.
1985: the official opening of Survival through Friendship House
June Taylor was able to raise enough funds to purchase a home in Goderich, to create a safe space for women in need, called Survival Through Friendship House.
1985: Survival through Friendship House provided the first shelter space for women
The 4-bedroom home on McDonald Street was a safe house for women in need of emergency shelter.
1991: Phoenix Project opened
Second Stage Housing, called Phoenix Project at the time, opened in all three locations (Clinton, Goderich and Exeter) as a separate organization.
1993: the current shelter facility began construction
Survival through Friendship House received a grant to construct the current shelter facility. The McDonald House was too small for the growing demand and would have required extensive renovations to be accessible.
1994: Women’s Shelter & Counselling services of South Huron opened its doors
The current shelter location opened and the organization is rebranded to Women’s Shelter & Counselling Services of South Huron.
2001: Shelter merged with Second Stage Housing
Women’s Shelter & Counselling Services of South Huron merged with Phoenix Second Stage Housing and renamed to Women’s Shelter, Second Stage Housing & Counselling Services of South Huron.
2005-2011: Shelter expansion, renovations and upgrades took place
2016: Renamed to Huron Women’s Shelter, Second Stage Housing & Counselling Services to encompass all of huron county
2025: Rebranded to Artemis Huron
To better express all of our services and all of the people we serve, the organization was rebranded to Artemis Huron.
Learn more about the rebrand.