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Inside this issue:
It’s hard to believe, but Interval House turned 45 this year. That means that for almost half a century, we’ve been a place of refuge for women fleeing intimate partner violence and their children.
Celebrating 45 years of empowering women
- 1973 Interval House is founded by 12 feminists to help women and children cope and heal after abuse
- 1980 The first man is hired as a counsellor for the Children’s Program to help model positive, respectful interactions between different genders
- 1998 Our Building Economic Self-Sufficiency Program (BESS) is founded, allowing us to reach even more survivors with crucial services
Inside this issue:
Many women come to Interval House so wounded and traumatized they can’t even describe it. They’re not ready or able to talk about their experiences. They don’t want to relive their trauma by recounting it to a counselor. Sometimes, they’ve been living with abuse for so long they don’t even completely recognize it.
Inside this issue:
A small band of volunteers were committed to providing a crisis centre for women and children who were fleeing abuse–they knew it needed to feel like a home. They put up a sign on a bulletin board asking women to help get something starts. With just a handful of committed supporters, Interval House opened in 1973 as the first shelter for abused women and their children in North America
Inside this issue:
“My healing began in the Interval House kitchen. Whenever I needed support, I knew I could head to the kitchen and find someone to talk to…The kitchen is truly the heart of our home. More than helping to feed our bodies, it helps to nourish our souls.”
Inside this Issue:
“If BESS did not exist, I would probably be on social assistance and stumbling through life unsure of how to
reach my goals. I am now living on my own in a safe neighbourhood— it’s a place that I never imagined possible three months ago.”
Inside this Issue:
“Thinking back on it now, I don’t remember seeing my mom sad. It’s amazing how parents can shelter kids
from this kind of stuff. I didn’t even know that it wasn’t our home. I just thought it was a really fun place.”
Inside this Issue:
“As soon as a woman calls the shelter asking for a space, safety planning begins. Being on the other end of the phone, it’s always heartbreaking to hear the stories. But the best way to help a woman who is fleeing a violent home is to equip her with the tools she needs to get herself and her kids to safety.”
Inside this issue: