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Women’s Outreach Society looks back at recent accomplishments

Fundraising for and construction of Julietta’s Place top the accomplishments of staff and volunteers dedicated to serving women who seek safer, healthier and more secure homes for themselves and their families.

Fundraising for and construction of Julietta’s Place top the accomplishments of staff and volunteers dedicated to serving women who seek safer, healthier and more secure homes for themselves and their families.

During their annual general meeting on Monday, members of the Central Alberta Women’s Outreach Society reviewed their recent accomplishments and their plans for the future.

Growth and expansion characterized the past year, which wrapped up on March 31, said executive director Barb Barber.

Julietta’s Place, a $1.5-million apartment complex being built for women who have left violent relationships, was approved last February and received $1.05 million in funding through a grant program for affordable housing projects. At the suggestion of city historian Michael Dawe, the building was named for Julietta Sorensen, known for offering shelter and meals to people in need.

The Women’s Outreach Society still needs to raise $300,000 to cover costs of the project, which Barber hopes will be ready in October to receive its first tenants. Suite rentals will help, but additional fundraising will be needed, said Barber. The 10-suite residence at 4917 55th St. would provide temporary transitional housing for women and their children. Residents would also have access to outreach support and counselling.

Along with its affordable housing project, the society has hired two more outreach workers, including one worker specializing in assisting immigrant women who have escaped domestic violence.

The organization now employes 29 full- and part-time staff and will likely have to hire only one more person to manage Julietta’s Place once it is ready to open, said Barber.

A rise in the total number of contacts reflects expansion of the 12 programs the society offers, she said.

The total number of contacts during the 2009-10 fiscal year rose to 29,400, compared with 28,072 in the previous year.

That includes some programs that didn’t exist or were just getting underway, said Barber.

The Safe Visitation program, which provides non-custodial parents with supervised visits with their children, saw 231 contacts, compared with 183 the previous year, she said.

The Safe Exchange program, new during 2009-10, provided 551 exchanges. The safe exchange program is set up to exchange children between parents when they are not allowed to have contact with each other.

Other programs that have seen a significant rise include the Back to School backpack program, which collects school supplies for children whose parents couldn’t otherwise afford them. The program increased from 691 backpacks in 2008-09 to 900 in 2009-10 and Barber expects to fill over 1,000 backpacks this year.

She said donations for the backpack program are being collected now because year-round schools start their new year on Aug. 1.

For information about the Women’s Outreach and its programs, visit www.womensoutreach.ca or call 403-347-2480.

bkossowan@www.reddeeradvocate.com