Hi [firstname,fallback=friends],

“It takes a village to raise a child” – ancient African proverb

At Interval House, we believe it takes our whole community to help women and children escape violence. We provide crisis shelter, and programs geared toward building independence, and we do everything we can to help them rebuild their lives and enter our community with confidence.

Last week, we announced a new proposal to restructure our housing strategy and include a portable housing subsidy for women leaving shelters.

Interval House is insisting on action to change the way women escaping violence access housing. Right now, if you are a woman being beaten in your home, you can flee to a shelter like Interval House to rebuild your life. When you leave the shelter, you may end up in subsidized housing. We believe the best way to help women leave violence behind forever is to allow them to afford an apartment where they feel safe, in a neighbourhood that they choose.

Interval House is urging our leaders to consider adopting a portable housing subsidy as part of our B.E.S.S. program, so women can decide where to live; whether it’s near to their work, their kids’ schools, far away from their abuser or close to vital community resources. Our B.E.S.S. program exists to ensure women get back up on their feet financially, and a major part of that solution is affordable housing.

We are calling on Queen’s Park to fund a two-year pilot project to help 50 families for 2 years.

Our proposal also frees up space in women’s shelters so that more abused women can get into the shelter to get the help they need. When one woman can’t move out because she can’t find affordable housing, other women can’t move in. And when women end up in a homeless shelter they don’t access the services and support they need. We believe that our proposal compliments existing affordable housing options and is a logical, practical and valuable way to support families on their journey to freedom.

Our initiative – focused on action and results – was covered recently in the Toronto Star. You can read the full article here.

Please help us raise awareness of this important issue – and do your part to take action and raise your voice with Interval House.

Yours in action,

In their bleakest moments, women turn to Interval House, Canada’s first centre for abused women and children. Our e-mail alerts will share with you how we can all raise our voices, take action to stop violence and transform the lives of women and children fleeing violence. If you wish to receive no further emails from us, please click here.