Bryony House Update

Bryony House, a Transition House in Halifax, is cutting the position of its sole outreach worker on August 25, 2009. This position has been in place for over two decades and its elimination will create a void in the services provided to women and children fleeing domestic abuse.

Background on Bryony House

Ø Established in 1978, it is a 24-bed shelter for women and children fleeing domestic abuse
Ø Funding is obtained through the Department of Community Services and community donations
Ø Operational funding levels have been frozen since 1996 – a 13 year period
Ø Bryony House has been operating with a deficit and now finds itself in the unfortunate position of cutting staff to save costs

Background on the outreach worker position

Ø This position has been in existence for over two decades
Ø It serves women who are considering moving out of a domestic violence situation through one-on-one counselling
Ø It also serves women who have been users of the services of Transition Houses by accompanying them to court appointments; providing support through a 10 week program to provide them with the tools to rebuild their lives
Ø The loss of this position creates an extra workload for existing staff as they attempt to fill the gaps in service

We are asking the government to:

Ø Payoff the $120,000 deficit at Bryony House and reinstate the outreach worker
Ø To move the promise of $500, 000 in Year 2 of their platform, for Transition Houses and Women’s Centre, to the current year’s budget
Ø To work with Transition Houses and Women’s Centre to lay the foundation for stable and secure funding in future years

Friends of Transition Houses Network is an informal group of allies joined by their common interest in ensuring the safety and security of women and children fleeing domestic abuse. Contact Lori Walton at loriwalton@eastlink.ca or call 902.219.0349 for more information

New NDP Government in Nova Scotia

Nova Scotians have elected an NDP government in Nova Scotia... for me that means hope.

Hope that important services such as transition houses are finally funded as they should be.

Hope that these houses operating budgets will be increased to reflect 2009's cost of living rates (not 1996).

Hope that women and children who are victims of abuse will be able to access the services these homes provide, whether in residence or by the outreach services.

I know that the NDP government committed to doing this during the election.

This week we saw how much in the red the Tories left our province. I can only continue to hope that our newly formed government will strive to keep their promise and support the types of services the New Democratic Parties are known to value.

My summer hiatus is over... the Friends of Transition Houses Network is back. In a week or so Andrea D'Sylva will be joining me in updating this site with information and articles. If anyone is interested in contributing to this site anonymously or by name, please feel free to contact me and we can discuss.

There is a public meeting scheduled for the Friends of Transition Houses Network in Halifax on September 3rd, 2009. More information will follow regarding that meeting soon.

Together we can make a difference.