June 2020
51st Edition
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S.A.F.E Society Responds to Pandemic By Barbra Fairclough put added pressure on people in need of The Shuswap Area Family Emergency legal protections. This leaves circumstanc(S.A.F.E) Society has been serving fami- es unresolved indefinitely for families adlies in the Shuswap Area since 1979. dressing violence. The society is supportWith origins in the women’s moveing clients with advocacy to help them ment of the 1970’s, the initial focus was manage through these circumstances. to support women experiencing violence As Hilland highlights, abuse is based in the home. The founding women recog- in power and control and under current nized the need for a shelter or safe haven pandemic conditions, it becomes easier to and the beginning of the S.A.F.E Society control partners. The increased stress astook hold. sociated with these conditions can lead to Over the years, the society has grown increased incidents of domestic violence. and has continuously added to the serBoth of these things together cause an invices it offers. crease in the need A client cenfor services. tered approach With so many serensures people vices under one are enabled and roof, programs can empowered to work well together discover their and are easily acown solutions. A cessible. Whether mission “to end it is programs or violence in the shelter, the society Shuswap” is at is well prepared for the core of offernew clients. Protoing a nonjudgcols and procemental safe envi- Jaylene Bourdon and Paige Hilland of S.A.F.E Society dures are in place at Clothing For Community Fundraiser ronment for famto keep clients safe Photos courtesy S.A.F.E Society ilies. This nonduring pandemic judgmental support, along with sharing of conditions. information, allows clients to be empowHilland says the continuum of services ered in new ways. offered for families has a preventative asIn conversation with Executive Coor- pect as well as well as responsive and dinator Paige Hilland, she revealed that long term prevention component. This current pandemic conditions of staying ‘whole family’ approach ensures that home and social distancing has made the teens and children, women and men can task of eliminating violence that much (Continued on page 3) harder. The partial closure of courts has