Past, Present & Future
Past:
Ernestine's Women's Shelter was opened in 1983 by a group of community members who saw a need for a safe place for women and children fleeing violence. Since that time, Ernestine's has assisted over 5,000 families with critical immediate care services.
The founders were pleased to name the shelter after Ernestine van Marle who gave them support and guidance as they began the shelter, and continued to support the shelter's efforts in ending violence against women and children until her passing in 2006. Ernestine embodied all the characteristics that our shelter aspires toward: energetic, community minded, supportive and dedicated.
Present: Our results for 2010-2011
- 58 women resided in our shelter
- 43% first language was not English
- With a housing crisis for women fleeing violence, 8 months is the average length of stay
- 39% secured permanent housing with the support of our staff
- Because they were found by their abuser 3% had to be transferred to another shelter
- 64 children resided in our shelter
- 80 child and youth group sessions were provided
- 15% attended the child witnessing violence program
- 100 women and their children accessed the Transitional Housing and Support Program
- 23% were aboriginal women
- Due to lack of space 26 women were referred to other TSW programs
- TTY training provided to 10 staff with train the trainer rolling out
- Over 350 safety plans were completed in all programs
- 400 crisis calls were received (the top 3 referrals came from Police, Friends and Central Intake)
Future: Ernestine’s Strategic Priorities 2010-2013
- To build fundraising capacity and raise more money by leveraging internal resources and increasing community engagement.
- To enhance service delivery, advocacy and partnerships to meet the growing needs of all women and children accessing EWS.
- To ensure our policies and procedures provide the foundation for excellence in service delivery.
- To build on the strong organizational culture by ensuring alignment of values, demonstrating the commitment to our staff, students and volunteers and ensure excellence in service delivery.
70%
of young women who have been raped knew their rapist; the perpetrator was or had been a boyfriend, friend, or casual acquaintance.
