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.

Parties Respond

I have received two responses thus far on the letter I sent to the party leaders (see last post).

I have decided to create a link on the right top side of this page with the 3 different parties commitments to funding for Transition Houses.

Please encourage your family, friends, and colleagues who will be voting on June 9th in the Nova Scotia election to take the time to visit this webpage and read the responses from the parties and ask them to take the plight of transition houses in Nova Scotia into consideration when casting their ballots.

All letters I have recieved will be posted by the end of the day Friday May 29th (I need to get access to a scanner for all the Liberals response).

Remember, one vote does make a difference, make an educated vote. Help the women and children in Nova Scotia who need shelter from abuse. Love shouldn't hurt.

Letter to Party Leaders

Posted below is a copy of the letter I sent to the 3 Political Party Leaders in Nova Scotia, Premier Rodney MacDonald, Liberal Leader Stephen McNeil and NDP Leader Darrel Dexter (Letter to NDP posted below). All 3 letters are identical save for the addressed party information.

I have already recieved a response from the NDP and when talking to the PC & Liberals they just recieved theirs today in the mail, so in fairness I will start post the responses tomorrow and then as they come in.

Friends of Transition Houses Network
We believe that women &
children need a safe haven
~ Love Shouldn’t Hurt ~


Mr. Darrel
Dexter
Leader of the Nova Scotia NDP Party
Nova Scotia NDP
Suite
1006-1660 Hollis Street
Halifax, NS B3J 1V7

May 21,
2009

Dear Mr. Dexter,

Can you imagine being too afraid
to go home? That’s the reality many Nova Scotian women and children face every
year. Nova Scotia’s transition houses have been there for them as a safe haven.
Now those safe havens are in danger.

Like any home,
transition houses need to be kept warm in winter. Their kitchens need food.
People need to get to work and school. The cost of all these things has gone up
dramatically over the past 10 years. But funding for transition houses has not
kept pace. In fact, operating budgets have been frozen for over 10
years.

In addition, tough economic times mean fewer donations.
People simply have less to give. Yet, even the Department of Community Services
says these tough times mean more people will turn to transition
houses.

These safe havens have struggled valiantly to maintain
their services in the face of dwindling resources. Volunteers have come to their
aid many times. It is no longer enough.

We need more
than volunteers, boards and staff to keep these houses open. We need
you. Stand up against violence against women and children in Nova
Scotia. Make a commitment to stable funding for transition
houses.

We know you support the programs and services transition
houses offer Nova Scotians in need. Now, we need and expect more – a public
commitment from you and the NDP party to increase the operating budgets of
transition houses.

We urge you to sign the attached pledge on
behalf of yourself and your party and send it back to the below
address.

I look forward to a speedy response from the Nova Scotia
NDP on this significant issue.

Sincerely,

Lori Walton,
Coordinator
Friends of Transition Houses
Network



NS NDP
Pledge:

I Darrel Dexter, Leader of the NDP pledge on behalf of my
party, when we are the government, we will increase the operating budgets of
Nova Scotia transition houses to reflect the current cost of goods and
services. On behalf of the NDP, I also make a commitment to provide
ongoing stable funding, tied to the rate of inflation at a minimum, for
transition houses in Nova Scotia.

Please sign: Darrel Dexter
on behalf of the Nova Scotia NDP

Date:

Calling all Friends of Transition Houses

Want an easy pre made way to contribute to the Friends of Transition Houses Network? I've got the job for you! (Volunteer job of course)

If you can gather a group of friends, colleagues, activists, people who want to make a difference and give back to the community, whether is with a friend or a group of friends, contact me. And if you can't get anyone else, but would like to help on your own, the network can still use your hands and time, I'll help coordinate teams if needed.

I am looking for people to hand out leaflets / info fliers to people walking down the street in busy areas of the city (i.e. Spring Garden Road on a Sunny weekday at lunch).

The message is the own posted below, a question for people to ask their candidates... "If elected to office will you INCREASE transition houses operating budgets so that they can keep up with inflation?"

Simple. You grab at least one friend interested, contact me for material, give 15 mins or more of your time and you will have made a difference.

E-mail me for more details, or with the day/time, location you area willing to help out! loriwalton@eastlink.ca

Together we can make a difference in the lives of women & children who are being abused.

Let's keep this important social service alive and thriving in Nova Scotia.

Rally in Antigonish - Saturday May 23rd at 3:30 p.m.

Come on out to show your support for Transition Houses!

This Saturday in front of Antigonish MLA Angus MacIssac's Headquarters (on Church Street in Antigonish) there will be a rally at 3:30 p.m.

Speakers are scheduled to be Jeannie Baldwin, PSAC Regional Executive Vice President, Maurice Smith, NDP Candidate for Antigonish (tentative), and myself.

We are demanding that whomever forms the new government for the Province of Nova Scotia brings up the operating budgets of Transition Houses to today's cost of living standards and continues to increase yearly to keep up with inflation. It has been over 10 years since transition houses have seen an operational increase... 10 years of trying to pay rent, heat, fuel, electricity etc with the same amount of cash that may have covered those expenses back in the day.

Let's help make sure Transition Houses are in place, strong and accessible. Women & Children need a safe haven.

Come out to the rally to add your voice to the many who will be there. Let's make a statement!

Upcoming Week - Friends of Transition Houses Network

The Friends of Transition Houses Network is asking you all to remember when the Nova Scotia Politicians come knocking ask them this...

If elected to office will you INCREASE transition house operating budgets so that they can keep up with inflation?

Remind them that in these tough times, many people have to cut back on their donations to not-for-profit organizations. Even the Department of Community Services says that these tough times mean more people will turn to transition houses, the need is projected to be greater, yet the funding is insufficient.

Remind those candidates that we need more than volunteers, boards and staff to keep these houses open. We need them, government, to stand up against violence against women and children in Nova Scotia. We need them to make a commitment to stable funding for transition houses.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The funding issue that surrounds Nova Scotia Transition Houses made it on the Nova Scotia NDP Party Platform where the party commits that they will increase and stabilize funding for Transition Houses and Women's Centres. They have put a dollar value of $500k in their second year of office. This is great that we actually made their platform with out us asking for it, but $500K spread out over at least 12 different transition houses... not to mention however many "women's centres" there are, doesn't catch "us" up to the cost of living (keep in mind it's been over 10 yrs since transition houses have recieved operational budget increases).

I am working with the Friends of Transition Houses Network steering committee today to finalize letters to all the political party leaders asking them to pledge to increase the operating budgets of Nova Scotia transition houses to reflect the current cost of goods and services and make a commitment to provide ongoing stable funding, tied to the rate of inflation at a minimum, for transition houses in Nova Scotia.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Until the Violence Stops Festival is coming up the first few weeks of June, this has even more significance as we will also be going to the polling stations during that time. I hope that the Friends of Transition Houses Network, and all of you are able to make some noise, ask the questions of the candidates and help to make sure that women & children have a safe haven in Nova Scotia should they need it.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Look out for this weeks The Coast (Halifax's Free Indie Paper), the Best of Food edition. In it you will see the Friends of Transition Houses Network advertisement asking people to take action by way of questioning the candidates.

And if you find yourself at a Political Candidates Town Hall meeting, try to ask the questions there. Let me know the response you might get.

That's all for now Friends... a good week to have ahead, opportunities to make some noise, lift your voices and generate change!