Nearly 250 women had to be turned away from the Leeds-Grenville Interval House over the last year because the organization couldn’t afford to support them.
That’s according to the shelter’s General Director, Diana Fisher, who spoke with Moose FM at a flag raising ceremony for Women Abuse Awareness Month.
“Over the past year, we served 39 women and 29 children at the Interval House,” she says. “We unfortunately had to turn away 244 women during that year. We were able to provide them with other resources, but we weren’t able to give them emergency shelter when they called for it.”
Fisher says demand is always high at this time of year, as the weather becomes colder and people in abusive relationships become more isolated from spending more time indoors.
She says the Interval House needs money so that it can take more people in and turn less people away.
To raise money during Women Abuse Awareness Month, an annual initiative that runs every November, the organization is selling purple scarves as part of a campaign called “Wrapped in Courage.”
Fisher says they’re available at To Be Continued, Boss Thai Boxing and Fitness, and Get Cronked Fitness in Kemptville. “They’re all women owned businesses, or women-partnered businesses, and they’re supporting us through the month of November,” she explains.
If you’re a woman in a dangerous or abusive living situation, Fisher says you can call the Interval House’s Crisis Line at 613-342-8815 for counseling and support or call 911 if you’re in an emergency.
