Sandy’s Weblog

The Omineca Safe Home Society offers a longer-term housing solution to women fleeing abusive relationships, after their initial stay in an emergency shelter, providing them a stable environment in which to prepare for a new life.

Emergency transition housing for women who are trying to leave violent or abusive situations usually limit the time women can stay in the emergency housing. It is not uncommon for women in transition shelters to be without stable housing options at the end of their stay.

The Omineca Safe Home Society (OSHS), which operates an 11-bed women’s emergency transition shelter for women with or without children faced this challenge. Stays are limited to 30 days, which is one factor that can make it difficult for women to terminate abusive relationships. At the end of the 30 days, there is a lack of stable housing options available for them, even though the women are given priority on waiting lists for the 30 affordable social housing units in Vanderhoof.

OSHS decided that to better serve its community, it had to rally support for second-stage housing that would give the women it serves the opportunity to stabilize their lives and receive the necessary support to reintegrate into their community.
Vanderhoof, near the geographic centre of B.C., about 100 km (62 mi.) west of Prince George, has a population of 4,500. It serves a larger region of close to 10,000 people. Its economy is dominated by lumber, agriculture, and related industries.

In the summer of 2008, OSHS started construction on a four unit, second-stage housing project. CMHC Seed Funding was used to help cover the costs of an environmental site assessment and preliminary drawings. The units are self- contained apartments. Two are two- bedroom units, one is a three-bedroom unit and one is a one-bedroom unit. The one bedroom unit specifically addresses the immediate difficulty single women are confronted with at the end of their stay in the transition house. In addition, there is office and programming space on the ground floor.

OSHS was able to acquire a site valued at $40,000 in a convenient location close to the transition house and raised an additional $49,000 through community fund raising. CMHC provided $600,000 through the Shelter Enhancement Program and BC Housing contributed $350,000. The Vancouver Foundation and the Real Estate Foundation of British Columbia each contributed $75,000.

OSHS, notes Sandy Hutchens, provides a variety of services both to women in transition and other individuals who need support. These services include 24-hour telephone response to women in crisis; relationship counselling; assistance finding health, legal and financial aid; programs for children who have witnessed violence; and public education on the issues related to partner abuse. Its existing operating funding comes from the Stopping the Violence initiative of the B.C. Ministry of Community Services. BC Housing also provides funding for homelessness outreach services.

By relocating its offices to the ground floor of the second stage project, OSHS can provide the necessary support services to the residents while maintaining the same level of service to its transition house and community clients. The women in the new housing pay rents related to their income and ability to pay.

While stays in the new second stage housing are limited to one year as part of the funding agreements, that extra time will allow the women time to seek counselling and advice, explore their options, work out a life plan and begin to implement it.

CMHC’s Shelter Enhancement Program provides capital assistance to non- profit corporations or charities that house victims of family violence. Both emergency transition shelters and second-stage housing projects are eligible but sponsor groups must provide assurance that they have operating funding. In second-stage housing, residents make modest contributions to offset the project’s operating costs.