Ottawa announces $320,000 in financial support, from the Federal Emergency Community Support Fund, for women and children fleeing domestic violence in northern communities.
Among the recipients, the Aimayunga Women and Emergency Foster Care Shelter and YWCA NWT will each receive $97,000 and the Family Support Centre in Hay River and Inuvik Transition House Society will each receive $63,675.
“It’s difficult to social distance with children in a shelter, the more space the better,” says Lyda Fuller, executive director, YWCA NWT.
She adds, “one of the hardest things to deal with in all shelters is the scarcity of housing.”
Fuller explains that since the pandemic she has had to reduce her housing and limit guests to one person per room, and now with their own washroom.
With the added funding, Fuller is looking for new ways to provide for these women and children. This includes buying more beds, renting out a hotel floor, and installing a safe outdoor recreational space.
