Pyjama Project

A few years ago, Florence Booth House and Evangeline Residence created an initiative to collect new pairs of pyjamas.

Women arrive at our doors during incredibly difficult moments in their lives—carrying pain, fear, uncertainty, anger, and distrust. Recognizing how scary the process of coming into a shelter can be, we do everything we can to make the admission process feel safe, supportive and as gentle as possible. From the moment someone walks in, we strive to welcome them with warmth, dignity, and respect.

After admission, taking a shower and washing their belongings is part of settling in. Then, our front-line team goes through intake questions, which can be a difficult experience as women share the many bumps in the road that led them to us.

The Pyjama Project aims to provide all intakes with a pair of new pyjamas upon admission. For many of us, changing into a pair of pyjamas is something we don’t put much thought into, however, it has such a silent impact on our spirit. Putting on our comfy clothes at the end of a long day sends a message to our brain that we’re home, we’re safe, and we can, for even a moment, exhale the worries of the day.

Our goal is to offer that experience to the women who walk through our doors. Providing a brand-new pair of pyjamas to wear as they get out of the shower, we hope it brings a sense of peace and calm as they unwind, exhale, and know they are safe.