OLDS — Mountain View Emergency Shelter Society (MVESS) saw a 235 per cent increase in clients last year, from 69 to 263 clients, and this year they’ve already seen 150 clients, a 17 per cent increase over last year, MVESS outreach services coordinator Emilie Webb told council recently.
The society helps obtain safe spaces for people in the Mountain View County area fleeing domestic violence. It also promotes awareness of family violence and advocates for prevention thereof.
During a presentation to council on Nov. 8, Webb said stresses brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic and joblessness -- in the oilpatch and elsewhere -- appear to have been factors in the skyrocketing caseload.
Webb said the workload became so much that her hours were increased from 20 to 30 hours a week and an administrative assistant was hired to help out.
“It was getting a bit rough there for a while, trying to do it all alone,” she said.
The society has existed for about 10 years, but as of yet, has no facility to directly provide shelter itself. Clients have to be housed in other facilities in Rocky Mountain House, Red Deer or Calgary.
Webb said that creates a problem for clients because they’re often forced to quit their jobs because the shelters are located too far from their jobs. They also often have to take their kids out of school because again, they’re too far away.
Last spring, MVESS and the Town of Olds hammered out an agreement providing MVESS with a 0.64 acre chunk of land on which to build a shelter. It’s located at the south end of 50th Avenue at 54th Street in Olds.
Acting chief administrative officer Doug Wagstaff told council the agreement gives MVESS five years from last June to begin building on the site.
Wagstaff said while the land in Olds has been made available for MVESS, an agreement allows the society to build or buy elsewhere in the county, should that opportunity arise. He said in that case, the Town of Olds would kick in $50,000 toward that project.
Last year, MVESS president Joe Carignan told The Albertan the society had raised about half of the $300,000 to $400,000 he figured they’d need to begin building and he was hopeful they’d be able to break ground on the facility next spring.
During the Nov. 8 council meeting, Webb noted a radiothon held last spring raised about $38,000. In addition, she said, the organization’s first annual ladies golf tournament at Trail Creek, held in August, brought in “a few thousand dollars.”
She said plans are to hold those fundraisers again next year.
At Webb’s request, council declared the month of November to be Family Violence Prevention Month in Olds.
Council also accepted Webb’s presentation as information.
