Here’s how $40K will be spent by Souls Harbour Rescue Mission

Michelle Porter was absolutely “thrilled” with Souls Harbour Rescue Mission was chosen to receive a funding boost from the provincial government.

The CEO told CityNews that the $40,000 will go towards its two women’s specific retreats, one in Bridgewater, which will open soon, and the other on the eastern shore. Both centres cater to women and children in a variety of circumstances, but the grant announced earlier this week is specifically for women who left domestic violence situations.

“A lot of times women who are coming out of a situation of crisis such as violence in particular will need extra support,” Porter said in an interview. “They will need counselling, even if you’re going on a sliding scale, there is a cost to the counselling.”

Transportation to appointments and possibly child care are also additional costs the money will go towards. Both centres are in rural parts of the province where getting to and from town requires a vehicle, a luxury not all women have.

The two centres assist women of all backgrounds who need help.

“We had one lady on her first day coming said, it’s like a spa retreat here,” Porter said. “There is just this atmosphere of peace and calm and tranquility when you are by the ocean.”

Some women who leave intimate partner violence relationships might need to go to school or be retrained to get a job, all costs that the $40,000 will cover. This funding will also be stretched further, Porter said because the organization is not using it on capital projects.

She believes that the money will probably last about a year.

“We were thrilled to be part of that list of recipients because it’s going to mean the world for a lot of the women that are staying in our care,” Porter said.

Intimate partner violence on the rise

The funding is coming at a good time, as Souls Harbour, and other organizations across the province see an increase in women leaving domestic violence situations or being killed.

Since Oct. 18, seven women and one man have been killed in incidents of intimate-partner violence in Nova Scotia. In five of the seven homicides, the perpetrator then killed himself.

Porter said the situation is an “epidemic” something the province has also noted.

“The increase is noticeable even at our drop-in center with women coming with their children and their young children,” she said.

The pressure from advocates has mounted on the province to do more addressing intimate partner violence, prompting the government to fund $23.7 million for transition houses earlier this month.

The money is destined for the province’s 10 transition houses, which last year provided temporary shelter and services for 3,500 women and children fleeing violence.