The North Island Crisis and Counselling Centre reopens safe shelter

The North Island Crisis and Counselling Centre recently re-opened the Safe Shelter for women or women and children fleeing domestic and intimate partner violence.

The Safe Shelter is staffed with house mothers who are share their warmth and compassion with women when they need support the most. The Safe Shelter is a comfortable, safe and secure space where women can stay and receive practical help to leave an unsafe situation as well as help to move on to the next stage of their lives.

Stays can be anywhere from seven to 30 days. House mothers assist with accessing resources, and the Safe Shelter staff can help with anything from getting toiletries and clothing, to accessing counselling and victim services. The Safe Shelter has agreements in community to assist with boarding or fostering a pet and accessing much needed medications from the pharmacy. Having a Safe Shelter local in our community means that women and children can receive immediate support anytime of the day or night right here in the North Island.

Marina Hargrave, the Coordinator of the Safe Shelter, knows that the success of our community’s Safe Shelter program is completely dependent on having compassionate house mothers who are also passionate about supporting women and children at their most vulnerable moments.

House mothers are provided a private room to stay overnight while a woman needs to be in the shelter. It is on a casual on-call basis that does not provide guaranteed income, but it does provide guaranteed heart-warming satisfaction that you will be helping someone who needs it the most. As this is primarily an overnight sleep shift, house mothers must be reliable but can have other employment or commitments during the day when the Shelter staff takes over. Making a cup of tea, listening and sharing a meaningful conversation, playing a board game with a family or doing some light housework is all that is required. We all have a few hours to give to keep this vital support thriving in our community, and earn a little supplemental income at the same time. Training is provided.

For more information on how to become a house mother, contact Marina at the North Island Crisis and Counselling Centre by calling (250) 949-8333. If you are in need of accessing the Safe Shelter, please call (250) 230-1647 at any time day, or night.