By Curtis Galbraith

Domestivc Violence

Odyssey House official says domestic violence patterns in Grande Prairie same as in other parts of Alberta

Dec 1, 2023 | 3:34 PM

A spokesperson with Odyssey House says Grande Prairie is seeing the same increases in domestic violence as other places in Alberta.

Odyssey House is one of 39 shelters that contributed to a recent report from the Alberta Council of Women’s Shelters.

Executive Director Lisa Watson says the second-stage shelter Serenity Place has no vacancies for the first time in three years.

“All 14 of our units are full. We’re also seeing longer stays in the shelter, mainly due to the response to the cost of living in Grande Prairie around affordable housing and the cost of day-to-day needs.”

“Women are staying a little bit longer with us until they can secure housing and the income to be able to move forward as well.”

Watson says Odyssey House has seen “more severe violence directed towards individuals.”

The report also says almost half the people helped by shelters province-wide were children.

Watson says that is also happening here.

“Every year, the individuals accessing our shelter is pretty consistent. We have seen a bit of (an increase) but at least half of those are children under the age of 18.”

The report also said shelters could not answer 30,000 requests for admission because of a space shortage and not being able to meet more complex needs.

Watson says Odyssey House sees what she calls “a consistent number of turnaways” at the shelter’s ‘Life Crisis Line’.

She adds that could mean one of two things;

“That might be something like yes, our beds are full, but it could also mean they don’t meet the priority needs that we have around domestic abuse. They might be experiencing something that’s out of our realm.”

“We really try our best not to turn people away. We really try to connect them with the appropriate resources and the services that are available in Grande Prairie.”

Watson says they can work to get people into a hotel or connect with Community Support Services so they can have their basic needs met.

Watson is hoping this report will send a message to the government about the need for increased resources for shelters.

Watson also says they have a couple of families left in need of support in their Adopt-A-Family program.

She says Christmas is “a really big deal at Odyssey House” and they try to make it special.

She says they could also use donations of hygiene products like shampoo, socks, and underwear.

– with files from The Canadian Press