History

Looking Back...

The roots of today's Employment Help Centre date back to 1983. This time period was realized by a nation-wide economic downturn and resulted in increased unemployment rates. In order to support the displaced workers, three parties came together -- the District Labour Council, the City of St. Catharines and the United Way -- to not only advocate the rights of the unemployed but eventually provide employment counselling services.

The year of 1993 brought the EHC new opportunities. With a new organizational structure and a series of innovative programs, the EHC realized a great deal of success. The implementation of the Job Connect and Farm Labour Pool programs placed thousands of job seekers with employment and continued to be an integral part of the EHC until 2010.

The EHC continued to expand its services at the later part of the decade by forming strategic partnerships and opening facilities in the West Niagara Region. EHC's partnerships with the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA), Job Gym, Credit Counselling, Women's Resource Centre, Region of Niagara and the YMCA, amongst others, have provided an extension of our services.

New Era of Challenges

Today, the EHC is undergoing profound changes. After 25 successful years serving the City of St. Catharines and Welland, the EHC is now focused solely in the West Niagara Region. The values and needs of these new communities pose new challenges and opportunities.

The EHC has welcomed this opportunity to evolve and focus its efforts where it's needed most. We are taking collective action and devotion to improving the lives of the people within these communities. In order to achieve our goals, the EHC is not only focused on helping job seekers find employment but we are forming new strategic partnerships to extend our services and helping the community confront its challenges.