Photo courtesy of Colton McKee

By Scott Roblin

Federal Funding

Women’s Shelter Society appreciative of new federal funding

Apr 6, 2020 | 6:12 PM

MEDICINE HAT, AB – Domestic violence shelters, including one located in Medicine Hat, will soon be receiving needed funds from the federal government to deal with the coronavirus pandemic.

Tens of millions of dollars in funding was announced by Ottawa on Saturday for women’s shelters and sexual assault shelters.

Women’s shelters across Canada will receive $40 million in funding, while another $10 million is being earmarked specifically for Indigenous women’s and children’s shelters on reserves.

Medicine Hat Women’s Shelter Society executive director Natasha Carvalho was ecstatic to hear the news and said the money will make a big difference coast to coast.

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“We want to make sure that we can offer all the same programs and services to the best of our abilities for our families,” said Carvalho. “We recognize that COVID or not, family violence is out there and this extra quarantining and self-isolating is just adding pressure to a lot of families.”

There is no word yet how much the Medicine Hat shelter will be receiving, though Carvalho confirmed they will be taking advantage of the new pool of money.

The pandemic has forced the local shelter to conduct outreach services through online methods and run limited staff in the building itself, though Carvalho hopes the funding will allow them to continue to use creative methods in providing local services.

“I think this money will really offer us that opportunity to have some flexibility in terms of how we offer services,” said Carvalho. “If that means setting up extra tech or having to hire extra people to be out in the community, it’ll just give us some wiggle room that way.”

Despite the uncertainty that COVID-19 has brought to most aspects of life, Carvalho added it’s important for distressed members of the community to remember that they remain operational.

“Don’t stay home if you’re unsafe,” she added. “Even if you have symptoms or your partner has symptoms, there’s ways where we can figure that out. We can figure out different ways to house you or get you into a safe place to make sure that you are safe in the middle of this pandemic.”

Physical donations have been cancelled for the time being by the MHWSS to limit the number of people going through their building, however they are still accepting cash donations at this time.