Family Transition Place Fall News
2018
November is Woman Abuse Prevention Month
Family Transiition Place Board of Directors 2018
We are not immune to woman abuse in our community. This November, please show your support to end violence against women by participating in the province-wide Wrapped in Courage Campaign. Statistics tell us that half of all women in Canada have experienced at least one incident of physical or sexual violence since they turned 16. On average 20-30 women a year are murdered in the province of Ontario alone. Domestic Violence is the number two reason for calls to the emergency police services. Additionally, violence in the home overwhelmingly affects children. It has an impact on their ability to focus at school; on their relationships with peers and adults; it increases their risk of participating in high risk behaviours such as substance abuse; and it increases the risk of anxiety and depression. Further to this, domestic and sexual violence has a significant impact on the workplace and in the larger community. This is not just a “big city” problem. A study by the Canadian Women’s
Foundation reports that 6,000+ women and children sleep in shelters on any given night because it isn’t safe at home.
courage of a woman is not enough. It takes the strength of an entire community to end violence against women.
We are not surprised. The beds at Family Transition Place (FTP) are full—all the time. There are women calling daily for space in the shelter, and asking to be put on the wait list for counselling to help them deal with the impact of the violence and abuse they have experienced.
By purchasing and wearing a purple scarf, tie, or the new purple pet bandana, you can support the services at FTP and show your support for ending woman abuse. Wearing the scarf is also a silent message to those women walking among us (and there are many) who have experienced or may be currently experiencing violence and abuse. It shows them they are not alone.
We need our community to be aware and to recognize the part each individual needs to play to change this scenario. Therefore, in recognition of Woman Abuse Prevention Month, we are proud to announce the return of the annual Wrapped in Courage purple scarf campaign. The purple scarf symbolizes the courage it takes a woman to leave her abuser. However, the
Woman abuse is not a women’s issue. It is a human rights issue, and it affects us all. Together we can work to eliminate woman abuse. Indeed we must. Every woman and child has the fundamental right to live in safety and security.
From the desk of the Executive Director
To order your scarf, tie or bandana online, please go to: www.familytransitionplace.ca. Scarves and ties are also being sold at both Royal Bank branches in Orangeville. Pet Bandanas are being sold at Global Pet Foods in Orangeville.
“We continue to be challenged to meet a growing demand for service and meet the ”
needs of clients who have ever increasingly more complex issues. Dear Friends:
SPONSORED
BY
As FTP heads into the last leg of our three year Strategic Plan titled “Riding the Winds of Change”, we are able to look back on just how much we have accomplished over the past three years, and how much work there is still to do. In the past few years we have seen our numbers steadily grow, meaning that the shelter seldom runs at anything below capacity or our counselling departments without waitlists. We continue to be challenged to meet a growing demand for service and meet the needs of clients who have ever increasingly more complex issues.
INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY EVENT TICKETS NOW ON SALE
MARCH 8, 2019 • Best Western Orangeville Inn & Suites 12-2pm featuring Anna Gustafason : PRODUCER, AUTHOR SPEAKER, COMEDIAN, but not a NAPPER $60 early bird rate $70 after Tuesday, January 8, 2019
For the 7th year, the Ferguson Memorial Walk, hosted by Penny and Gus Bogner, raised an incredible $20,000 for FTP. Thank you to all of the event participants, sponsors, donors and volunteers for making this possible. We are so grateful for your for your loyalty, commitment and hard work. Penny and Gus—you are an inspiraton to our community.
created from fundraising dollars so that we could build capacity internally. We evaluate both programs and staff engagement on an ongoing basis and use the results to evolve programming and retain staff. Educating our youth has continued to be a priority for FTP as we look to the future with hope. We believe that by teaching children about self-respect, respect for others and healthy relationships, we are working to prevent the unhealthy or abusive relationships that create the need for our services in the first place. Our Youth Education programs still enjoy a huge degree of success and in fact, are now being booked in schools into 2020. The strategic objective of sustainability has been accomplished by responsible financial management, good funder relations and creative and successful fundraising. We have done all this while looking to the future and bringing our ideas and perspectives to larger community issues by partnering with likeminded people and agencies. We are proud of the relationships we have with our many partners, as we work together to affect change—on poverty, mental health and addictions, housing and many other societal issues. We know that each of these broader issues present, sometimes insurmountable, barriers to the women, children and men who seek our services.
One of the objectives of the current strategic plan was to look at service delivery models and ascertain if they are really meeting those needs. Several things have come about as a result of this directive—as an example: the shelter has moved farther along the harm reduction continuum and has reduced the number of As we now move into the process of strategic planning rules women are required to follow while living there. for the next three years, all of these issues and more, We created a position for a Mental Health Residential will remain in our sights as we continue our work to Counsellor to support those who are struggling with create “A community free of abuse where women, mental health challenges as well as trauma from abuse. children and men are treated with respect and equality, We developed the Rural Response Program designed andthe livestories in healthyofrelationships within families.” But, the numbers don’t tell us anything about the women wetheir serve. to be mobile, the counsellor meeting women where it is most comfortable, safe and convenient for them. In keeping with the strategic objective of service excellence—we proudly achieved our first accreditation through Focus Canada, scoring the first ever 100% rating they had ever seen. A staff training fund was
20 Bredin Parkway, Orangeville, ON L9W 4Z9 www.familytransitionplace.ca
Norah
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THE HOPE
PROJECT
VOICE OF COURAGE: SAMRA ZAFAR Samra Zafar was our keynote speaker at this year’s HOPE Project luncheon on September 20th. Samra shared her story about arrviing in Canada as a child bride and forced into an abusive marriage. Her story of survival and perseverance was a huge inspiration to all attendees.
Thank you to the sponsors, attendees and all who were involved to make the day a success. The event raised $55,000 and this money will be used to support delivery of critical programs and services offered by FTP.
Event photography generously donated by DutchTouch Photography.
Event photography courtesy of Dutch Touch Photography
When you become a monthly donor, you give so much more than money. We are looking for 20 more
people that are willing to sign up and help make a difference. You choose the amount - $5, $10, $25/month or more. Should your circumstances change in the future, you can cancel at any time. Monthly budgeting allows us to better plan for the future, lowers administrative costs and helps us set more predictable budgets.
Sign up online at familytransitionplace.ca