# Sakeenah Canada

> Sakeenah Canada is a national registered charity that combines transitional and long-term housing with remote casework, mental-health counselling, food access, youth support, anti-trafficking work and a 24/7 crisis hotline. Founded after Zena Chaudhry saw a Muslim woman struggle to find culturally safe help, it has grown from remote casework into a multi-city support network designed around faith, language, dignity and the long road from crisis to independence.

- **Founded:** 2018
- **Headquarters:** Mississauga, Canada
- **Founders:** Zena Chaudhry (Founder and Chief Executive Officer)
- **Team size:** 58 employees reported at year-end 2024; supplied company data lists 59 employees
- **Products:** Remote casework, Transitional homes, Mental health program, The People's Market, Foster care support
- **Notable:** Grew from remote casework in 2018 to eight transitional homes and one long-term housing unit reported for 2024., Reported 33,415 people served across all programs from inception through 2024., Sheltered 282 women and 185 children during 2024.

## Products & services

- **Remote casework** — Personalized intake, safety planning, advocacy, referrals and practical help with housing, benefits, legal, immigration, employment and financial needs across Canada.
- **Transitional homes** — Confidential, staffed homes for women and children, with food, essentials, casework, counselling and skills support; assessments and availability apply.
- **Mental health program** — Free, culturally and faith-sensitive counselling and therapy offered to in-home and remote clients.
- **The People's Market** — Referral-and-appointment food support in a grocery-store format where clients select halal, culturally relevant food and essentials at no cost.
- **Foster care support** — A licensed program that recruits and trains families to provide culturally and religiously sensitive care, especially for Muslim children in care.
- **Long-term housing** — A private Windsor unit for one family at a time, paired with 12 to 18 months of case management and remote counselling.
- **Child and Youth Program** — Trauma-informed, age-appropriate mentorship, tutoring, life-skills and emotional support for children and youth in homes and remote services.
- **24/7 nationwide emergency hotline** — Trained responders provide crisis intervention, emotional support, safety planning and coordination of emergency placements outside regular hours.
- **Anti-human trafficking** — Survivor support plus prevention, awareness, webinars and training for youth, parents and professionals.

## Achievements

- Grew from remote casework in 2018 to eight transitional homes and one long-term housing unit reported for 2024.
- Reported 33,415 people served across all programs from inception through 2024.
- Sheltered 282 women and 185 children during 2024.
- Served 2,192 clients remotely and 334 mental-health clients in 2024.
- The People's Market served 12,824 people and distributed 135,445 food and essential items in 2024.
- Opened Newfoundland and Labrador's first transitional shelter specifically designed for Muslim women and children in St. John's in 2024.
- Launched a nationwide 24/7 Muslim emergency support hotline in December 2024; its first month logged 48 calls and five safe placements.
- Won the MAX Charity of the Year Award in 2023.

## Latest updates

- **2026-08** — Announced a partnership with Elgin-St. Thomas Community Foundation for culturally responsive youth mental-health and food-insecurity programming.
- **2026-06** — Continued the Sundays with Sakeenah podcast series with an episode about fostering, adoption and faith.
- **2025** — Penny Appeal Canada reported capacity-building support for Sakeenah transitional homes in Ottawa, Montreal and Winnipeg, serving 55 women and children.
- **2025-02** — Received a CAD $3,823 federal Enabling Accessibility Fund grant for an accessibility project.
- **2024-12** — Launched a nationwide 24/7 emergency support hotline for Muslims.
- **2024-08** — Opened the second People's Market location in Scarborough with Penny Appeal Canada.

## Links

- Website: https://sakeenahcanada.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/sakeenahcanada
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/sakeenahcanada
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@sakeenahcanada
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sakeenahcanada
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Sakeenahcanada
- TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@sakeenahcanada

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/sakeenah-canada
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-08-23