February 2024, True North and the Alberta Council of Women’s Shelters (ACWS) participated in the Love a Shelter Valentine’s Day Awareness campaign to bring attention to the need for domestic violence shelters around Alberta.
We invited the public to join the campaign by creating a valentine in support of their local shelter.
Wow! Thank you to our community for supporting True North with your creativity, kindness, and passion for supporting others!
With your help, we have collected and mailed nearly 200 valentines to our local MLA and the Alberta Minister of Children & Family Services!
We call upon the Alberta Government to increase funding for Alberta’s Domestic Violence shelters and assist service providers in meeting the needs of our community, protecting survivors of violence, and helping survivors lead healthy, independent lives.
We have been overwhelmed by all of your compassionate comments and support – we only wish we could share each and every Valentine here!
“We love Alberta Shelters: just know life WILL get better. We are with you every step of the way.”
“Thank you, True North: You are like a warm hug at the end of a long day for our community. Thank you for being there for the hardest moments. You are hope.”
“Support Alberta Shelters: Everyone deserves to be safe. Even you.”
“I get your going through something though or hard but someone cares about you out there, so happy valentines.”
“I hope you’re alright and get better, whatever you’re going through, now you’re okay. Fund Alberta shelters.”
“We Love Alberta Shelters: As the demand for a safe environment from abuse is increasing, we need to continue and increase support and finding for the GREAT work they do.”
“Thank you, True North: Outreach Team, thank you for reminding me I matter. Coffee + connection = healing <3s”
“Thank you, True North: you probably already know this, but if you feel unsafe or sad I’ve found laughter heals everything even if it’s just for a moment. If that doesn’t work, then just a food old fashioned hug, it could be a stranger but it feel great, you will feel better.”
“We Love Alberta Shelters: You are loved. You are cared for by many people. You just gotta love yourself and believe in yourself – a person who cares.”
“We Love Alberta Shelters: Domestic Violence shelters are important because they give people a safe place to stay when they feel they aren’t safe. These shelters offer safety and help to those who need it and very important. I’m glad these places exist.”
“True North, I would like to thank you for everything you do. You have a big impact on our community!”
Did you know…
~ ACWS shelters have served over 2 million vulnerable Albertans over the last 30 years (ACWS).
~ In 2022-2023, 3,561 children were sheltered in an Alberta DV shelter (ACWS).
~ 71% of survivors who completed the Danger Assessment tool while staying in a shelter were at severe or extreme risk of being killed by their partner or ex-partner (ACWS).
~ In 2022, one Canadian woman or girl was killed every 48 hours due to domestic violence (ACWS).
~ 75% of survivors who accessed shelter support in 2022-2023 needed increased help meeting their basic needs (ACWS).
~ For nearly a decade, domestic abuse shelters have faced stagnant funding. This freeze on operational funding and wages for DV shelters has led to limited capacity (ACWS).
~ “In addition to this increase in sheer volume, continued fallout from the pandemic, rising inflation, staff burnout and historic highs in staff turnover, and stagnant funding have stretched shelters far past their limit (CBC).”
~ “As inflation rises and we know a recession is looming, shelters are being asked to operate on budgets written in 2015 dollars, and it has to be said too that those 2015 dollars were insufficient even then,” said Jan Reimer, ACWS executive director (Edmonton Journal).”
~ Alberta has the highest rates of Domestic Violence in Canada. Calls for help to Alberta Council of Women’s Shelter (ACWS) members hit a ten-year high, with over 59,000 calls answered by domestic abuse shelters (ACWS).
~ Domestic Abuse shelters help survivors move on to healthy, independent living by providing emergency safety shelters, counselling services, court support, outreach services, referrals, connections to resources, and more.
~ True North has been working to interrupt the cycle of abuse for 30 years: in our community, True North has served nearly 3,900 individuals and children just through our emergency shelter & outreach programs.