The Mountain View Emergency Shelter Society is holding an open house at its uptowne office on Nov. 10 to inform the community of the services it can provide, even while there isn't a bricks and mortar shelter constructed yet.
Located at the corner of 50 Avenue and 50 Street, the event takes place from 3 to 7 p.m. Coffee and tea will be served. As well, Edmonton singer-songwriter Andrea Nixon is expected to play an acoustic set at about 6 p.m.
Sasha Curr is the shelter's coordinator of outreach services and currently conducts crisis outreach. She helps women fleeing domestic violence access the various resources they need. That can include finding housing, food banks, or accessing government assistance programs like AISH (Assured Income for the Severely Handicapped) or Alberta Works' fleeing violent situations fund.
She also mentions the new provincial law passed in August that allows victims of domestic violence to break housing leases without penalty.
The shelter is developing a few programs it plans to unveil.
First is a workshop called The Hustle for Worthiness, scheduled for Dec. 7 and 14. The event covers the struggle people have in finding their self-worth.
In January, the shelter will also start a support group for people who've fled domestic violence. Another program would seek to educate the public on the five forms of domestic violence: sexual, physical, emotional, financial and verbal.
The shelter society has been in existence for a number of years but does not have a shelter built yet. The board's Carol Johnston said they will need to think about what they will build, adapting to changing models for how victims of domestic violence are cared for.
She said the federal government has taken an approach called Housing First, which it also uses to tackle homelessness.
In the Housing First model, clients are moved into stable homes (such as a small apartment for a long-term stay) and receive supports to help them achieve self-sufficiency. That can include clinical services, and job and life skills training.
"So at the end of that period of time, you can go out, get yourself an apartment, and move on with the rest of your life," Johnston said.
The shelter society has been in existence for a number of years but does not have a shelter built yet.
