The Vision for a New Crossroads Shelter
Today, Crossroads itself is at a turning point. Our aging facilities are no longer adequate to meet our community's needs for the future. Although designed to be single-family dwellings, often five or six women and seven or eight children are juggled within each cramped shelter at any given time. There is very little privacy, only two bathrooms, limited kitchen facilities, and most difficult of all—often only one staff member in each shelter. Counselling space is extremely limited, impeding successful outcomes.
The YWCA has a bold vision for a new YW Crossroads Shelter:
one that will replace the two existing shelters; one that will ensure that women and their families are not doubled up in one room;
one that will have more space for cooking and recreational activities so that families can eat and play together and not in shifts. And one that will have professional counselling and support programs delivered within the safety of the shelter, so that women are better enabled to build a promising and healthy future for their families when they reintegrate into the community. Importantly, because there will be one large shelter instead of two separate houses in different locations, staffing can be doubled without adding salaries. With a minimum of two counsellors available at all times, women will be given the support, care and attention they need, when they need it.
At 14,178 square feet, the new Crossroads shelter will be twice the size of both previous buildings combined. It will be wheelchair accessible and is designed to accommodate the needs of injured, disabled, and elderly women, as well as women with small children requiring cribs and strollers. A significant enhancement will be additional space for private counselling as well as children's programming and areas for group programs for both shelter residents and women in transition. Helping women imagine and achieve a different future requires nourishment of self-esteem, rebuilding of confidence, pre-employment programs, assistance with access to resources and often special supports for those women struggling with psychological problems. Helping children recover from the trauma of abuse in the home is also a crucial intervention. Professional support to the mothers and children is critical to ensuring these youth do not themselves grow up to be abusers or victims. The YWCA, in partnership with appropriate community service agencies, will provide women and their children with the enriched professional support they require to break the cycle of violence and build healthier futures.
“In an abusive situation, a woman has to make a very brave and courageous decision to take the extra risk of walking out that door, taking her children and saying goodbye to the relationship, a marriage, a home and hoping something better will come next.”
- Lynn Zimmer, YWCA Executive Director
