Family Transition Place commemorates 30 years – Much has changed over the past 30 years, but the reason for our being in existence has not. This year marks the 30th anniversary of Family Transition Place (FTP). In 1985, when FTP was first established, the shelter movement in Canada was still in its infancy. The movement had only started a decade or two earlier during the late 1960’s and ‘70’s, when, even more so than today, Domestic Violence was considered a “private matter”, best kept hidden behind the heavy curtains of a marriage. This attitude often left women stuck in dangerous and intolerable situations with literally no place to go. In our community, the need for a shelter was identified first by women working in the social services. These social workers, when going into clients’ homes, were seeing firsthand the effects of domestic violence on women and on children. A group of community women with the gumption to make something happen came together to discuss what needed to be done. As a result of these conversations, Hillside
House opened in 1985, on Hillside Street in Orangeville. It operated out of a single family dwelling, originally designed to hold one family. It was stretched to accommodate sometimes as many as 20 or more women and their children and operated like that for many years. With stable funding and the support of a generous community for a capital campaign, Hillside House officially
Despite a concerted effort to educate the community that violence is never an acceptable part of a relationship, 30 years later the shelter is full every night, and our waiting lists for counselling services are longer than ever. became Family Transition Place in 1997 when it opened its doors in its existing location on Bredin Parkway. Much has changed over the past 30 years, but the reason for our being in existence has
not. Women still need a place to go with their children when home is no longer safe. Despite a concerted effort to educate the community that violence is never an acceptable part of a relationship, 30 years later the shelter is full every night, and our waiting lists for counselling services are longer than ever. But FTP itself has changed. Always a vibrant and progressive Safety. Support. Hope. organization, the agency has 1985-2015 modified and expanded in order to keep up with the growing community and the increasing and changing demands for service. FTP expanded its facilities in 2011 to increase bedrooms and enhance accessibility. continued on inside page...
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May is Sexual Assault Awareness Month FTP offers free individual counselling in Orangeville, Bolton, and Shelburne for women and men 16 years of age and older for recent or historical sexual abuse. Through counselling, you can begin to let go of the guilt, anger, and shame that many victims of sexual assault experience and begin to feel empowered, stronger and hopeful about your future.
905.584.4357 • 519.942.4122 • familytransitionplace.ca • 24 Hour Info/Crisis Line 519.941.4357 • 905.584.4357 • 1.800.265.9178
Spring News 2015
Today, 11 bedrooms can house up to 24 women and children at any given time. We currently have 40 full and part time staff that provide services to over 3,000 women and children every year. Over the past two years, our services have expanded to include a Substance Abuse Program for parenting and pregnant moms, and most recently, a partnership with Supportive Housing in Peel, to house and support women who not only have experienced trauma due to abuse, but who are also managing moderate to severe mental health issues. Some of our philosophies and approaches to doing the actual work have shifted over the years. Long thought of as a “women’s issue”, we have started to see the value in engaging men in the effort to end male violence against women. Through groups like MENtors (formerly, the Headwaters White Ribbon Campaign), we are engaging men as allies and raising the awareness of men’s
roles in this work. We are actively supporting more men who are victims of sexual assault themselves. And most recently, a generous gift from the Fyfe Foundation is allowing us to pilot a Caring Dad’s group in partnership with Dufferin Child and Family Services, to help men who want to become better fathers and deal with their issues in a non-violent, non-aggressive way.
still have work to do to eliminate the stigma associated with the issue of Violence against Women. Regardless of the fact that woman abuse crosses all socio-economic barriers and is in no way the fault of the woman on the receiving end of it, there is often still shame attached to being a “victim” and the need to seek help at a shelter like Family Transition Place.
We have learned more over the years of the interconnection of mental health, addictions and trauma, and through this learning have adapted our services to accommodate a more harm reduction approach than a zero tolerance one, in the way in which we support women with addictions. We have adopted a more client centred, holistic philosophy to supporting women where ever they are on their journey to healing. We have deliberately worked on making our services more accessible and diverse.
We work hard to make FTP cheerful, bright and welcoming, but going to a shelter is still most people’s last resort.
Long thought of as a “women’s issue”, we have started to see the value in engaging men in the effort to end male violence against women. But despite these changes, our values and commitment to ending violence, in all its forms, never waver. To that end, we continue to work with the youth of our community, through partnerships with our schools and other organizations, to give them the tools, attitudes and skills they need to build healthy, respectful relationships. We still hold out hope that by doing this, we will help grow a new generation for whom violence in a relationship is never an option. And despite all of the education and awareness raising work we have done, we
At least that’s what I thought, until I had a refreshing and enlightening conversation with a former client a few weeks ago. She told me, exuberantly, that she and her children had loved staying at Family Transition Place. In fact, she joked that if we’d only given her a dresser, they would never have moved out! And, even better, that on “FTP Day” in her son’s school, when our Youth Educators come into the classroom, her kids are the first to tell their friends, without any shame whatsoever, that they had once stayed at FTP, and that it is “Awesome”! Some things change, some remain the same. In an ideal world, 30 years from now, FTP will not exist to celebrate an anniversary – because in that future world respect and equality will exist between the genders and within every intimate relationship, rendering our services redundant. But if that Utopia doesn’t quite materialize, then I sincerely hope that whoever needs to find Safety, Support and Hope behind the doors of Family Transition Place, that they won’t be ashamed of seeking help there, and that their kids will still think that FTP is “Awesome”. – Norah Kennedy, Family Transition Place’s Executive Director
New Staff & Program Announcements that will help us Serve our Clients FTP is excited to have our new Support Within Housing Program up and running. With funding from the Central West Local Health Integrated Network (LHIN), we were able to hire Kaitlin Haley to work closely with women who not only have experienced trauma due to abuse, but who are also managing moderate to severe mental health issues. Housing units have been provided by our partner organization, Supportive Housing in Peel (SHIP). In addition, the program also will include a Drop-In Centre at FTP for those struggling to maintain housing or who find themselves precariously housed. We are excited about this new program, this wonderfully innovative partnership with SHIP, and the many opportunities it may provide in the future!
We are also delighted to welcome Food & Nutrition Specialist – Janice Prokofiew – to FTP. This new position, funded in part by the Morningview Foundation, allows for one person to be responsible for the shopping, menu planning and preparation of the evening meals in the shelter, while ensuring a high level of nutritionally balanced foods. Janice will work with the women to develop meal planning and budgeting skills, teaching the importance of healthy diets in their children’s development and in supporting their own emotional recovery and well-being.
You can help! Donate to Family Transition Place online at www.canadahelps.org.
The leaves are turning green this Spring for another reason! Currently, FTP is in the final year of its first Accreditation process. In the fall of 2013, we embarked on this initiative, knowing that it would be challenging and arduous but ultimately rewarding. So far we haven’t been proven wrong on any count! There were originally two driving forces behind FTP seeking an Accreditation status. The first was that in the 2013 legal agreement with the Central West LHIN, we were informed that all funded agencies were now being mandated to be accredited. But, more importantly, accreditation will identify areas for improving the quality of service for the people we support. After reviewing a number of Accreditation bodies, we decided to work with Focus Accreditation because of their feminist attitude and their willingness to work with us to make us successful. They have also done some concentrated work on developing specific standards for the Violence Against Women sector.
In total, Focus sets 184 standards to be met across 14 Domains. Our work has been to review all of the Domains and Standards and verify that we meet the requirements as set out in each one. Under the leadership of Jessie Humphries – Information Systems and Quality Assurance Specialist – staff, management and Board have been engaged in searching out, reviewing, re-writing and editing policies, procedures, documents and practices to find evidence that we meet the standards. We are proud to say that we have already successfully (we believe) met 138 standards and are into the home stretch. One very creative suggestion from the Staff team saw the creation of the Accreditation tree which is coming to life on the wall of Every Woman’s Room. Every time a new batch of standards is met to our satisfaction, the responsible group gets to replace a black leaf with a vibrant green one. When our tree is in full green leaf, we know we will be ready for our on-site validation! And with that, we will know that our services, for all those we serve, will be the highest quality we can make them!
Charity Fashion Show a Wonderful Success! Thank you to Hockley Valley Resort for hosting a fantastic event held on April 24 that raised an incredible $14,000 for FTP! Thanks to everyone who participated as sponsors, silent auction donors, volunteers and as guests.
Mark your calendars – Sunday, September 27 for the 3rd Annual Ferguson Memorial Walk. Collect pledges and join us at this inspiring fundraiser in memory of Heidi Ferguson who lost her life due to a tragic domestic dispute with her estranged husband. The walk takes place at Island Lake on September 27th. More info at fergusonmemorialwalk.com.
FTP celebrated its loyal volunteers during National Volunteer Appreciation Week. Celebrating milestone achievements: 5 years: Paulene Deifel, Dave Quinton, Mike Walmsley and Andrea Stewart; and Shirley Boyle for 15 years (yes...that’s right...15 years)! Thank you to all of our volunteers. We appreciate you!
$45,000 raised at the FTP International Women’s Day Celebration Luncheon.
Thank you to all of our sponsors, vendors, and the 300 guests that joined us at the Best Western PLUS Orangeville Inn & Suites in March. Special thanks to our friends Gourmandissimo Specialty Fine Foods for providing the fabulous meal.
Toronto’s Kate Davis and Susan Stewart are hitting the road to share their wit and wisdom. A unique night of laughs - you won’t want to miss it!
TICKETS $40 +HST powerofthepurse.ca $5 from each ticket sold to support Family Transition Place
HOGEY’S SPORTS BAR 275 ALDER STREET - ORANGEVILLE
THURSDAY, MAY 21ST, 2015 -
Doors Open: 6:00PM | Show Begins: 7:30PM
Introducing the live music of 'Warez' beginning at 6:30pm before the show!
/kateandsusan
@2funnyladies
May is Sexual Assault Awareness Month
The statistics are startling, approximately 1 in 3 women will experience sexual assault in her lifetime. During the month of May, we shine the light on a topic that needs to be discussed. We will be providing weekly informational articles on our website and social media sites. We ask you to read these
articles as they may challenge your own beliefs or you may learn something new. This month dedicated to the awareness of Sexual Assault allows us to have sometimes difficult conversations with our friends, co-workers, family and children. Over the next few weeks, we can provide answers to the questions such as “Why are survivors reluctant to report the abuse?”, “What do you do if you know someone who has experienced sexual abuse?”, “What can we do as a society to eliminate this abuse?”. Here at FTP, we offer free individual counselling in Orangeville, Bolton and Shelburne for women and men 16 years of age and older for recent or historical sexual abuse. Seeking counselling support in a safe place can help you understand
and validate how the assault or abuse has impacted your life. You will also be supported in understanding your options and choices regarding medical treatment,
“FTP offers free individual counselling in Orangeville, Bolton and Shelburne for women and men 16 years of age and older for recent or historical sexual abuse.” contact with police and legal rights. Through counselling, you can begin to let go of the guilt, anger and shame that many victims of sexual assault experience and begin to feel empowered, stronger and hopeful about your future. Join our conversations this month and follow us on Facebook and Twitter.
Coming soon: Family Transition Place and Dufferin Child and Family Services will be working together to bring a new group to our community. “Caring Dads” is a group that is focused on helping fathers improve their relationships with their children and end controlling, abusive and neglectful behaviour. We are excited about this new initiative which has been made possible through support from the Fyfe Foundation. If you would like to know more information about this group, please call us at 519-942-4357.
Walk & Breakfast Men! HOW WE SERVED OUR COMMUNITY IN 2014-15
EMERGENCY SHELTER: 115 WOMEN & 59 CHILDREN
Are you brave enough to walk in her shoes?
What style will you wear?
COUNSELLING SUPPORT (WOMAN ABUSE) 368 WOMEN SEXUAL ABUSE COUNSELLING 131 WOMEN & 9 MEN ADDICTIONS & OUTREACH 74 WOMEN TRANSITIONAL SUPPORT SERVICES 372 WOMEN & 3 MEN SUPPORT WITHIN HOUSING 5 WOMEN AND 10 ON WAIT LIST YOUTH EDUCATION APPROXIMATELY 2,000 YOUTH
Event registration – $20/pp (includes breakfast)
Family Transition Place provides critical services to women and their children who have experienced abuse and unhealthy relationships. The MENtors are working to engage men and boys in a redefinition of masculinity and helping to create a world free of violence and inequality.
Saturday, June 20, 2015 | 9:00AM - 12:00PM Hogeys Sports Bar (275 Alder St, Orangeville)
Visit familytransitionplace.ca/mentors for more info.
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