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By Chris Brown

Project Impact Reports

Book project a learning, growing experience for women’s shelter

Apr 19, 2021 | 4:43 PM

MEDICINE HAT, AB – A new book on women’s shelters in Alberta is giving the Medicine Hat shelter fresh ideas on how it can help get clients from hoping for a better future to living one.

The Medicine Hat Women’s Shelter Society was one of 21 shelters in the province that worked on Project Impact Reports: Alberta Council of Women’s Shelters over the past year, speaking with about two dozen clients.

Manager of residential programs and services Katrina Barron says the shelter worked with adult clients from first stage shelter Phoenix Safe House and second stage shelter Musasa House as well as its outreach program.

She adds the project will help the shelter going forward by including an interview with clients.

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“After people have accessed services they can connect with one of our staff to go through an interview where they get an opportunity to really process their experiences,” Barron says. “And not only that but to look at what’s different in their lives from when they started when they first accessed to where they are now and to be able to really look at the changes that they’ve been able to create in their own lives.”

She said the traditional anonymous surveys will still be part of their process, and that they’ve been able to look at the questions currently being asked and will make changes.

Barron says clients were positive about the programming offered, particularly the chance to learn from each other’s experiences.

“There’s something that’s just much more meaningful about being able to connect with other individuals in that same situation as well to support them through that,” she says.

An unexpected finding from the project was how therapeutic it turned out to be for clients, particularly the interviews.

Barron says they gained a lot of insight and data from them.

“We can really look at the impact we’re making in the community and do everything we can to direct our programming to get that best possible impact,” she says. “But it was also such a great support for the individuals who were connecting with us and so we want to be able to continue to offer that to them as well as part of their healing journey.”

The book is available at amazon.ca.