Journal by a Transition House Women's Support Worker

On tonight's shift things were mostly quiet. We recently had a number of women leave and it is the quiet lull before the next bunch of new intakes. It is nice to know we finally have some beds available as we have been full and turning women away for a couple of months now. It is great that we can bring in the next few women who call as when we are full the nearest other Transition House is more than two hours away.

We always go out in the community to connect with possible intakes before bringing them into the house. The issues of abuse, mental health and addiction have become so intertwined that we have to have a good sense of how well a woman is functioning before we admit her. We operate from a low barrier approach often also referred to as harm reduction.

If a woman has an active addiction we will still provide her with bed so long as her addiction does not interfere with her stay. In actuality addiction is not so tidy as that and we often have to manage the issues that arise as a result of what addiction really looks like. The same for women with mental health issues. We will provide them with a bed so long as they are able to cope living communally in the house. Again the reality is often different than the policy but we always manage with flexibility and compassion.

Then you add to the picture, that in small communities like mine, there are few services and essentially no shelters. As a result the Transition House ends up taking a lot of women that a Transition House in the city wouldn't. We end up having a very wide definition of needing safety in order to accommodate women who will otherwise be on the street for the night. This means we are underfunded for the kinds of resources needed when clients have such extensive multiple barriers rather than when they are only dealing with fleeing abuse. Still, however most of our women are fleeing abuse, both physical and emotional.

Imagine only one staff on during the day, responsible for seven to ten women and children - all in need of housing, supports, counselling, legal advice and advocacy. We work hard to make sure no one falls through the cracks but at the end of the day it just isn't adequate and it is the women and children who suffer.