Today, Windsor Essex Pride Fest welcomed Andrew Dowie, MPP for Windsor-Tecumseh, and members of the public to its office on Ottawa Street for an event to mark the launch of its Qmunity Windsor-Essex Needs Assessment as well as to recognize a $128,300 Resilient Communities Grant from the Ontario Trillium Foundation (OTF)
“This investment by the Ontario Trillium Foundation helps the Windsor-Essex Pride Fest and all service providers and community leaders gain a better understanding of the needs of our 2SLGBTQIA+ community across Windsor-Essex through an updated needs assessment.” said MPP Andrew Dowie. “Given that it’s been more than a decade since the most recent iteration of the assessment, I look forward to seeing our Pride community’s feedback reflected in this new report and to continuing our work together improving the services Pride Fest offers to Windsor-Essex.”
The grant, first awarded in July 2022, has helped Windsor Essex Pride Fest rebuild and recover from the impacts of COVID-19 by providing it with the necessary resources to conduct a regional assessment of needs in the local 2-Spirit, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, Queer, Intersex, and Asexual (2SLGBTQIA+) community over 1 year.
"The impact of this funding from the Ontario Trillium Foundation grant cannot be underestimated. This will allow us to conduct this important regional assessment of 2SLGBTQIA+ community in Windsor-Essex and better understand what needs are.” Our mission is to strengthen the sense of community and contributes to the vibrancy, health and overall well-being of all 2SLGBTQIA+ persons in Windsor-Essex” and this truly helps us reach out to hear from all”.
–Wendi Nicholson, President of the Windsor Essex Pride Fest
Windsor-Essex is home to a diverse and intersectional 2SLGBTQIA+ community that is strong, resilient, and resourceful. But research shows that the community is disproportionately affected by physical & mental health issues, and economic, social, and political inequities. 2SLGBTQIA+ needs are often overlooked or misunderstood.
Therefore, the project includes regional community consultations, regional assessment survey, focus groups and more, to not only help the Windsor-Essex Pride Fest but also services providers and community leaders gain a better understanding provide better and more relevant programming. The ultimate vision is Windsor-Essex as a place where all members of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community can thrive.
For those in the 2SLGBTQIA+ community in Windsor-Essex who want their voice heard, everyone is encouraged to take part in the Qmunity Windsor-Essex Needs Assessment.
Windsor-Essex Pride Fest is an incorporated non-profit run by a volunteer Board of Directors that deliver safe, inclusive programs, services, events and initiatives accessible to all members of the Two-Spirit, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, Queer, Intersex and Asexual (2SLGBTQIA+), their family, caregivers, allies and friend and seeks to strengthen and contribute to the health, resilience and overall well-being of 2SLGBTQIA+ individuals in Windsor-Essex.
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Windsor-Essex Pride Fest is funded in part by a generous