Odyssey House Outreach (Supplied: ACWS website)

By Abby Zieverink

"More Than" campaign

Alberta Council of Women’s Shelters launch “More Than” campaign

Mar 10, 2022 | 12:47 PM

Alberta Council of Women’s Shelters has launched a provincial campaign to help illustrate what shelters do for those experiencing domestic violence.

The “More Than” campaign launched on International Women’s Day this past Tuesday.

ACWS Executive Director Jan Reimer says the campaign is working to show how shelters offer services beyond an essential safe bed to sleep in.

“I think people often think they (women’s shelters) are just a bed (a safe place to stay), but women’s shelters are much more than (just) a bed and they do much more than provide those residential supports,” she explained.

“Domestic violence is more than physical violence, it can affect women of all ages who are seeing increases in dating violence as well.”

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Reimer says this awareness campaign is critical in getting a message out to survivors of violence and helping those who are looking for help.

“Our members are there to help women assess their danger levels, they are there to help create safety plans and we certainly encourage anyone who’s experiencing violence or abuse to call their local women’s shelter and we can work to support them.”

She explains that shelters can help both women who may be experiencing abuse and those who may know of someone experiencing violence.

“You can call for advice and safety planning, even if you’re not sure if you’re in an abusive relationship,’ she said. “Friends and family can call if they think someone, they know needs help. There are outreach programs available in communities across the province.”

The “More Than” campaign hopes to empower women to make the choices they need to seek safety.

“Women and girls are disproportionately impacted by intimate partner violence and they certainly disproportionality impacted by the pandemic and that became even more true for groups including Indigenous women, black women, racialized women as well as those living with disabilities as well as members of the 2SLGBTQ+ community,” she explained.

The Alberta Council of Women’s Shelters represents 40 sheltering organizations operating more than 50 emergency and second stage shelters for women, their children, and seniors fleeing violence and abuse.

For those who may be experiencing domestic violence, are in crisis, or need a housing alternative in Grande Prairie, Odyssey House is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

In 2020/21, Odyssey House supported 130 women and 123 children at its emergency shelter. It facilitated 58 groups which saw 208 attendees. Trauma councillors provided 748 hours of therapy to 147 individuals and its second stage shelter supported 18 women and 28 children.

More information on the “More Than” campaign, can be found here.

Odyssey House 24 Hour Crisis Line: 780-532-2672.