Words from Sheila Davis, Transition House Worker

Our concerns are for the women of Nova Scotia who are fleeing abuse. Any downward change in the economy affects women who are being abused, and it affects them from multiple angles: for example, one of the chief reasons women tell us they are afraid to leave their abusive partners is because they are afraid of starting all over again with nothing, they are afraid of being poor.

In the economic climate we are in, poverty will seem a more likely outcome to these women, and they will be more likely to stay with their partners, suffering more frequent and increased abuse. If abusive partners are laid off from work, they are at home, with more opportunity (and more "excuses") to abuse. As the economic stresses increase in families, we will see an increase in the frequency and severity of abuse, and therefore an increase for the need of the services of transition houses.

Although Nova Scotians are well-known for their level of contributions to charities we are also likely to see a decrease in donations. Women staying at transition houses use the services of many of the other social service agencies that have had their grants frozen (food banks, counselling agencies, furniture banks, single family resource centres, e.g.). Where are they to turn if the very agencies they need are struggling for survival?

This is not a time to be talking about freezing grants and staff lay-offs, this is a time to make sure that the most vulnerable people in our Nova Scotian communities are protected from violence. This is the work of transition houses, but we cannot do it if we are facing a reduction in services, due to cutbacks.

An example of how the 13-yr long freeze to our operating funds affects our service can be seen in something as straightforward as the cost of oil. We spent 6 times as much on heat in 2008 as we did in 1997! Transition houses have made regular requests to Department of Community Services to increase our operational funding and every time we have been given the same answer: tighten your belts. Well, we’ve tightened our belts so much that we can’t breathe! We've made very cutback we feel we can. There is no more room to scrimp!

Staff at transition houses are passionate about the work that we do with women and children. We are paid 20-50% less than employees with the same experience and qualifications in the public and private sector, and in addition to our paid work we do hours of volunteer work every month. We’re educated, experienced, qualified and underpaid. And each of us works hard shifts in a crisis environment, often with no break. There’s no scrimping room there, either. Any cut to staff will increase risk to women and children.

Right now there is an ongoing fundraiser for shelters across the country and transition houses receive direct (donation) money and indirect (project grant) money from the proceeds. It's called Shelter from the Storm.

If you are at Winners, Homesense or BMO banks you can make a donation, or (on May 7 at Winners and Homesense) have a percentage of your purchases go towards the campaign. You can also donate online. Some of the proceeds go directly to transition houses and the rest funds projects which help prevent violence against girls & women or help women rebuild their lives after abuse.

I have just returned from Toronto, where I worked with the grant selection committee for the Canadian Women's Foundation, and we chose over 40 excellent projects from across Canada (and at least one in every Atlantic province) to receive funding. I am so excited about these initiatives that will be funded in part by this campaign, and the more money that Shelter From the Storm raises, the more projects on the "maybe" list can be funded.