A family shelter for women and their children fleeing violence on the Stoney First Nations reserve has been closed since April and won’t reopen for some time as the building undergoes safety upgrades.
Stoney Tribal Administration put the tender package out on Oct. 13, inviting seven contractors to bid on the project to bring the Eagle’s Nest Stoney family shelter in Morley up to fire code.
Administrative officials say there is a reciprocal agreement in place with two Calgary shelters while the building is undergoing work, noting women and their children fleeing violence and abuse are being referred Awo Tann and YWCA Mary Dover House.
“Some of the upgrading is taking a bit longer than expected, but it’s currently out to tender,” said Nina Valentine, director of operations for Stoney Tribal Administration.
“It is a super important service on the reserve and it’s very important for us to get it reopened as soon as possible. We are aiming to have the shelter open before the end of the year.”
The shelter received a $332,000 provincial grant for upgrades to the building.
Phase one was completed last year and includes flooring and a new roof. This second phase involves bringing the building up to fire code with a new sprinkler system, fire alarm panel and fire doors on bedrooms.
Services offered at the Eagle’s Nest Stoney family shelter include referral and programs, crisis line, children’s programs, transportation, crisis intervention, elder and traditional teachings, family healing, healing circles, outreach and safety planning.
Statistics shows 68 First Nation women from Morley used the shelter in 2014-2015, with 31 women from other reserves also served. There were also 11 non-Aboriginal women who accessed the shelter.
The total number of children aged 18 and under was 77. The number of bed nights was 1,338.
“We are working to get this shelter open,” said Valentine.
Alberta’s NDP government last month announced an additional $15 million for women’s shelters and transition housing, bringing the current provincial investment in women’s shelters to $49 million.
The new money will ensure a broader range of supports are available to women and children escaping violent homes, including counselling and help finding new housing or accessing financial assistance.
The funds will go towards second-stage shelters, operational increases for emergency shelters, child trauma counselors, specialized housing and support services staff working in shelter and an increase in the fee-for-service agreements with on-reserve shelters.
According to statistics from Alberta Council of Women’s Shelters (ACWS), there were 5,259 women and 4,946 children who walked through shelter doors throughout the province in 2014-15.
Two-thirds of the women admitted to shelters are accompanied by children and over a third of the women arrive with two or more children. Almost half of the children admitted to women’s shelters are pre-school age, and about a third of them are under the age of three.
ACWS officials say safety and accommodation are two critical, interwoven needs for women and children seeking lives free from violence and abuse.
They say research indicates women leaving abusive relationships are at a high risk of danger of being killed by their abusive current or former partners.
Jan Reimer, executive director for ACWS, said provincial funding recognizes that shelter expertise is an essential part of an informed women-centered collaborative approach.
“This is evidence the government of Alberta is taking a holistic approach to address violence and abuse against women by ensuring that there are an array of supports available in communities throughout the province,” she said.
Meanwhile, Banff YWCA continues to look at design and financial models for a women’s shelter in the Bow Valley as part of a comprehensive needs assessment it is undertaking.
The current Bow Valley women’s emergency shelter has only one dedicated space for women and their children fleeing violent situations and offers no access to transition housing for women who need a place to stay after leaving the shelter.
Between April 1, 2014 and March 31, 2015, 20 women and 17 children went to the Y shelter, spending a total of 495 nights. Twenty-five people received outreach services and support for domestic violence related issues during this period.
