For Antonia Eckley, becoming CSO Program Coordinator here at Nellie’s was both a natural step and a dream opportunity. With a bachelor’s degree in social work and extensive experience providing counselling, support, and programming within shelters, she is passionate about breaking down barriers and creating safe spaces for clients.
“From a young age, I helped out at a food program where I got to interact with a lot of people who were homeless and I found that a really incredible experience. Connecting with these people, who so often have been dehumanized by society, really gave me an insight into their lived experiences. And I found I especially connected with women,” says Antonia.
“I would consider myself to be an intersectional feminist and I took women’s studies courses all throughout school. Learning about topics like reproductive justice and violence against women was super jarring and upsetting, but also encouraged me to want to be part of that change, so that’s all brought me to where I am today,” she explains.
Becoming part of our team at Nellie’s has enabled Antonia to use her enthusiasm and skills to build strong connections with clients, both in our shelter and the community. After joining in May 2025 as shelter staff, she became CSO Program Coordinator in September. A typical week sees her run a whole array of initiatives, including a food bank which is often attended by 130+ women and a trauma group for women with disabilities.
“My role now is to develop and facilitate programs,” Antonia says. “I run a seniors’ group which is based around breaking isolation and most of the women there are Mandarin speaking, with very little English, which has made it interesting figuring out how to best work together. We talk about issues like healthy relationships, self-defence, and understanding technology. We also do a lot of crafts because they’re all very creative.”
Antonia likes to approach all of her programming in a way that aligns with Nellie’s core values, which she feels are very true to her own.
“I love the intersectional framework that Nellie’s has and how it’s inclusive of all women and gender diverse people. We get women from all walks of life and it’s really powerful to hear their lived experiences and learn from them as well. I often like to set the chairs up in a circle so we’re face to face. It’s a very collaborative space and I feel like it’s so important to instill that sense of dignity and autonomy, and emphasize that they have really powerful voices and things to say.”
During her time in the role, Antonia has learned more about which areas are most meaningful to women and hopes to continue to expand her offering.
“I love the harm reduction aspect, so I’d love to teach more about substance use and how to stay safe in other areas, as well as safety planning and spotting warning signs of abuse. It’s important to tailor our teaching to clients of all ages because violence can happen at all stages of life. And I want to continue helping women to process their experiences. Coming to community spaces and sharing stories is such a powerful way to heal,” she says.
Antonia finds her work uplifting and inspiring, and, as she looks to the future in her role, she hopes to continue empowering women to know their strength, choose their path, and rewrite their own stories.
“I feel like when people think of living in shelter they think of people being at the toughest points in their life and being in a really sad space. And obviously people are going through really difficult things, but I also feel like Nellie’s is a space filled with so much joy. There are children laughing and women connecting, and we see the deep powerful resilience of mothers and women coming out of hard times. It’s important for people to realize that helping these women and giving them opportunities to heal changes so many lives. The experiences are upsetting, but that’s just a piece of their lives. There’s so much more to these women than just those single stories,” she concludes.