HSH's Drive to Thrive: Help Turn the Key to a Better Future

By Sara Cumming

Executive Director, Home Suite Hope

Imagine waking up before dawn to get your children ready and taking them to their daycare or school, then embarking on a long, unreliable journey across town on public transit to get to work or class. For many of the mothers in Home Suite Hope's (HSH) program, this is a daily reality. Lack of reliable transportation isn't just an inconvenience; it's a major barrier to achieving financial independence.

Research across Canada has shown that access to transportation is a key factor in lifting individuals out of poverty. A national-scale study estimated that nearly one million low-income Canadians experience low transit accessibility, limiting their ability to reach jobs and essential services. For single mothers, the challenge is even greater. When you're juggling daycare drop-offs, school schedules, and work commitments, the margin for error is razor-thin — and a missed bus or a delayed train can mean losing a job or missing an important class.

In urban areas like Halton, public transportation often doesn't align with the complex schedules that single mothers navigate every day. A 2020 study across Canadian metropolitan regions found that improved accessibility had a stronger effect on public transit use among low-income groups, particularly in larger urban areas. Yet, in medium-sized communities like ours, public transit options are fewer and farther between, making car ownership not just a convenience, but a necessity.

Owning a vehicle dramatically improves a mother’s ability to secure and maintain employment. Studies in cities like Toronto and Montreal show that low-income individuals with access to reliable transportation are far more likely to find jobs that align with their skills and ambitions. Without a car, job options shrink to a limited radius around transit routes — often excluding higher-paying positions or jobs with growth potential.

Education is another key stepping stone to self-sufficiency, and transportation plays a critical role here as well. A study in Minneapolis found that providing high school students with free transit passes reduced absenteeism and improved grades.

The same principle applies to adult learners. For the mothers at Home Suite Hope who are pursuing education as part of their journey towards independence, reliable transportation is the difference between showing up and falling behind.

But the impact of mobility goes beyond just getting to work or school. Reliable transportation means being able to take your child to the doctor when they're sick, to attend parent-teacher conferences, to grocery shop without having to carry heavy bags across town, and to participate in community life. It means freedom, opportunity, and dignity.

This is where you come in.

At Home Suite Hope, we are launching a Transportation Empowerment Initiative to provide our mothers with the resources they need to become mobile. We aim to partner with used car dealerships, driving schools, and generous donors like you to make car ownership a reality for our participants.

Here’s how you can help:

• Donate: Every dollar counts. Your contribution could help cover the cost of a driving lesson, a car safety inspection, or even a tank of gas.

• Sign your under or unused car over to us: Do your parents have a car they stopped using? Do you have a car for your children who have since moved out of your home, or purchased their own?

• Partner with Us: Are you a local car dealership? Consider donating a reliable used vehicle or offering discounted rates to our program participants.

• Sponsor a Driving Lesson: Many of our moms don’t yet have their driver’s licenses. Sponsoring lessons at a local driving school will give them the skills and confidence they need to get behind the wheel.

• Help buy a transit pass: Provide the ability for a single parent to purchase a transit pass

When you give a mother the keys to her own car, you’re not just giving her transportation — you’re giving her access to better job opportunities, a chance to complete her education, and the ability to care for her children with greater ease. You’re helping to break the cycle of poverty and build a brighter future for entire families.

Join us in driving change. Together, we can remove one of the most significant barriers standing between these mothers and the lives they dream of for themselves and their children.

Ready to help? Contact us today to learn more about partnership opportunities or click the link below to donate.

Every journey begins with a single step. For our mothers, that step could be the turn of an ignition key. Let’s give them the chance to drive towards a better future.

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