government officials might be urging people to stay home during the COVID-19 pandemic, but if your home isn't safe, you still have options.
That's the message the Howe Sound Women's Centre (HSWC) is hoping will reach women in volatile domestic situations in the Sea to Sky corridor.
"We have to assume and build our programs around the assumption that it is much more difficult for women to leave at the moment," said Ashley Oakes, HSWC executive director. "Our accessibility is there and we have capacity to serve as many as needed."
There have been reports of increased domestic abuse around the world during the pandemic. Metro Vancouver Crime Stoppers says the number of reports coming in to Vancouver's Battered Women Support Services has spiked by 300 per cent since self-isolation first started.
While the HSWC doesn't yet have official numbers locally, Oakes said she estimated calls have been up about 20 per cent.
"It's a perfect storm," Oakes said. "It's a combination of being isolated with a person who is your abuser and the abuser having access to that survivor 24 hours a day. It's the economic uncertainty families are facing; when there's an increase in unemployment and economic uncertainty ... we see an increase in domestic violence. During times of crisis and catastrophe we also see spikes. We have all three of those things happening in parallel."
One additional challenge the centre has been facing when it comes to reaching women in need: on March 15 it had to close its public drop-in centres as well as Pearl's Value & Vintage in Squamish, a social enterprise that funds about 40 per cent of their operational revenue (roughly $40,000 a month).
"We determined the best move forward was to provide virtual services through Squamish and Whistler drop-in centres," Oakes said. "We're normally drop-in in-person ... [but] we had to pivot to do that by phone or video conference or, to some extent, text message is an easier way for some women to communicate, especially if they're living in a home with someone who may be their abuser."
The safe house in Pemberton is currently at full capacity, but, thanks to collaboration with the Whistler Blackcomb Foundation and the Resort Municipality of Whistler, the HSWC was able to secure hotel rooms in Whistler for women fleeing their homes in corridor communities.
"Now we have space in Whistler, which is really amazing," said Laurie Hannah, community program manager for Whistler and Pemberton. "We had one person in one of the hotel rooms the last couple days and that worked really great."
The organization has released ads in local media and through their social media in an effort to spread the word that their services are still available. One major gap, though, is to areas with no cell service or internet—largely past Pemberton, all the way to the Lower Lakes in the Southern Stl'atl'imx area.
"When we consider women living in remote communities—and no cell service—that adds so many additional barriers to someone seeking safety," Oakes said. "We've been in touch with local community service partners on identifying some of those gaps."
One idea that's emerged is offering information and outreach at the Whistler Food Bank, which has moved to the Whistler Conference Centre during the pandemic. "We're making sure we're working together to have resources available that we can refer," Oakes said.
While all non-profits in the corridor have been in need of funding during this time, Oakes said they've done an admirable job of supporting each other. "We're still actively seeking the support of the community, families, and companies that are able and wishing to support us," she said. "We would gratefully accept contributions at this time."
Women who need to access the Howe Sound Women's Centre can call the 24-hour crisis line at 1-877-890-5711.
Squamish and Whistler drop-in staff are still providing crisis support, referrals, and advocacy by phone or video from Monday to Thursday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The Squamish number is 604-892-5748 and the Whistler number is 604-962-8711.
For emails and a full list of services available, visit hswc.ca/get-help.
Men in crisis can contact the Whistler Community Services Society at mywcss.org/about-us/contact.
