"Although Interval House's board and staff remain committed to working toward the elimination of violence in our society, indications are that not much has changed in the past three decades and that family violence continues to be a serious problem in our community," said Cheryl Cook-Taylor, chairperson, at the Battlefords Interval House annual general meeting on Thursday.
The mission of Battlefords Interval House has been to work towards the elimination of violence by providing safe shelter, empowerment, support, education and guidance to women and their children.
Efforts of staff members have been exhaustive in making the community a safe place by offering all of these services to women and children in need, but the reality is that the need for a shelter to house women and their children to escape violence still remains the same, Cook-Taylor said.
According to the executive director's report, the shelter currently housed 95 women and 134 children over the 2010-11 fiscal period. Ninety-two per cent of those admitted are there due to abuse either by a live-in partner, or ex-partner. A total of 77 women and 171 children were refused due to a full house.
The struggle to find safe, affordable housing in North Battleford also becomes a concern when women are ready to move from the shelter, the report states. With few rental vacancies, "Victims of family violence are constantly forced to 'make do' with housing that is not suitable, not safe, and not healthy," said Ann McArthur, executive director.
In October, the Interval House celebrated their 30th anniversary of services with a sold out dinner featuring Tanya Brown as the guest speaker. Tanya is the youngest sister of the late Nicole Brown Simpson, a victim of domestic violence. Her family founded the Nicole Brown Foundation, which educates communities on strategies for domestic violence preventions.
Other efforts have been made to raise awareness about violence against women. In February, the Vagina Monologues were presented at the Western Development Museum. Battlefords Interval House was one of the beneficiaries of the event proceeds.
The chairperson expressed her sincere gratitude towards the volunteers and fellow board members for their many contributions. The organization depends heavily on support from volunteers in the community who often work full time jobs and have other lengthy volunteer obligations in the community, she said. She also bid a farewell to Karen Ulmer, who after 11 years of commitment retires her position to Evelyn Sparrow.
The chairperson also expressed that "positive impact depends on a co-ordinated community response," thanking the many local groups and organizations that support the Battlefords Interval House through donations of cash, food, gift items, household items and more.
