With 100 percent support of the YWCA of Niagara Board of Directors, the application to begin the “Sixth Street” project was submitted to an alphabet soup of government agencies early in 2003. The application stage culminated more than 18 months of brainstorming and hard work on the part of many people.

The need for housing of this type was long overdue. In Niagara County, there had been single rooms available for homeless women, but virtually no housing for homeless or low-income women with children.

Partnerships with agencies such as Orleans-Niagara BOCES provide much-needed education and training opportunities for many of the women who live here. Programs include daily GED instruction, vocational programs that include Certified Nursing Assistant training and the YWCA of Niagara's own on-site Culinary Arts Institute, domestic violence counseling, individual and group counseling and more. Child care referrals are available.

The "Sixth Street" project was named in memory and in honor of the late Carolyn Van Schaik, a community activist with a passion for the city of Niagara Falls and its preservation.