Women’s shelter celebrates 30th anniversary of fighting violence in La Longe

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LA RONGE — Pihuapan Wellness Center is a lively and lively place.

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With dozens of programs and services spread across La Ronge’s three buildings, staff and clients are working to break the cycle of harm and violence in northern Saskatchewan communities.

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Earlier this month, the Pihuapan Women’s Shelter celebrated its 30th anniversary with a “Women’s Celebration” at the town’s community centre.

Anita Jackson was one of the original organizers there. In the midst of that breakthrough moment, she took time to reflect on how far the shelter has come in the last 30 years and how much more remains to be done.

According to Jackson, before shelters became permanent locations, women and children fleeing intimate partner violence would have to raise money to rent out their homes so they could have a safe place. “We were doing everything we could, selling bread, raising money,” he said. .

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It was a tough job, and Jackson says she and her fellow organizers faced an almost constant uphill battle.

“Whenever our neighbors found out we were providing safe shelter for women and their children, they went to the town council and caused a ruckus for us, so we We were eventually kicked out and had to find another shelter,” she recalled. “We’ve been operating that way for her 10 years in this community.”

Finally, with federal funding, the shelter opened its permanent location in 1992.

For Jackson, the first few years at the new shelter were “really scary.” She and other organizers often faced hostility for speaking out about violence against women, even though more women were reaching out to shelters in need of safety and services.

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“I was punished for doing it, and I was punished for not doing it,” Jackson said. “So we said – what do you know? Violence won’t change if we don’t do it ourselves. Daughters won’t change, sons won’t change, violence won’t stop.”

“So we did it.”

The shelter itself is a large building with a mix of offices, bedrooms and common areas that can accommodate up to eight families at once. It is often full. Last year, a local woman secured her safety here 114 times, and the emergency call center at the shelter had more than 450 calls of her.

Karen Sanderson, executive director of Piwapan, said women who come to shelters to escape violence from intimate partners, even if that means finding a room for her in a hotel or a southern shelter. , says he will never be rejected.

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But Sanderson said looking at women’s shelters over the next 30 years, the focus has expanded beyond just providing safe shelter to focus on preventing violence and healing the whole family. I’m here.

“We’re thinking about prevention and intervention, and trying to make those changes in a small area up north,” Sanderson said. I want to make an impact where there is healing.

“And shelters alone can’t take preventative measures. We have to try that healing part for the whole family, so we can break the cycle of violence from within.”

In recent years, Piwapan’s program has expanded to include youth groups, Kokum clubs, sexual wellness education and outreach programs. There are plenty of services that can be enjoyed by the whole family, including those for men.

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“With the exception of mandatory shelters for women and children, our outreach and relationship wellness programs are open to men,” Sanderson said. Men can also come here for help.

“Men are also victims of violence and men need to know that there is some support here.”

So, 30 years after the shelter opened, work continues. A lot has changed, says Jackson. Shelters are now more accepted and it’s easier to talk about the root causes of needing them. leave a feeling

“We had hopes that with the work that we did, we would be able to turn around our community,” she said. I’m happy, because 30 years ago I could never have spoken like this.

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“At the same time, the problem of violence against women and children and violence against men in the North has not changed much. There are still more needs than we can provide. “

— Local Journalism Initiative

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