More Than Shelter campaign kicks off in Alberta

The Alberta Council of Women’s Shelters is launching a new provincial awareness campaign to coincide with International Women’s Day.

The organization is aiming to illustrate how shelters are more than just a roof over the head for those needing to escape domestic violence.

“Today is International Women’s Day, so it’s a good time to really raise awareness, not solely to just celebrate women, but to also look at some of the basic needs they have like safety — safety in their own home,” said ACWS executive director Jan Reimer.

She added the timing of the ACWS’ latest campaign is not a coincidence.

“We know as (COVID-19) restrictions loosen we are going to see more reports of domestic violence, more demand on women’s shelters and we will be seeing an aftershock of the impact of the pandemic — I believe — for a number of years to come,” Reimer said.

The new campaign, dubbed More Than Shelter, is intended to highlight all of the services shelters offer to people who need them, without ever having to physically come to a facility.

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“There is often an idea that shelters are just a bed or a place to be for a very short period of time,” Reimer pointed out.

“Lots of people don’t recognize that shelters are much more than that — they do outreach, they do follow-up, they do safety assessments.”

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The campaign was developed by Women’s Shelters Canada and is focusing on bringing awareness to not only those suffering from domestic violence, but also to those who know someone who might be living with domestic violence.

Tracy James with the YWCA in Lethbridge said initiatives like this can be lifechanging to those who need the extra support.

“It is a great campaign that is going to make sure that everybody knows that women’s shelters are just not a bed, they are help,” she said.

James added that by having these blanket campaigns spanning provincewide, it ensures organizations are on the same page and no matter who gets the call, support is close by.

“If they call us, they might be in Ontario, they might be in B.C., and we can find them help somewhere close to them. So it’s really, really important to just call, to just come in, to just ask.”

You can find more information on the campaign and watch the 60-second PSA on the ACWS website.