SACPA hears talk on work and challenges of the YWCA

By Al Beeber - Lethbridge Herald on October 4, 2024.

Herald photo by Al Beeber Jill Young, CEO of the YWCA Lethbridge and District, speaks to SACPA on Thursday.

LETHBRIDGE HERALDabeeber@lethbridgeherald.com

Why is the YWCA Lethbridge & District still needed after 75 years? That question may have been answered Thursday through statistics provided by its Chief Executive Officer Jill Young during this week’s session of the Southern Alberta Council on Public Affairs.

SACPA met Thursday at noon in the dining room of the Lethbridge Senior Citizens Organization.

Young gave an indepth look at the YWCA to the audience who listened to her as well as YWCA facilities manager Lena Neufeld and abuse survivor Lorien Johansen who told of her time spent in Harbour House and how she has come full circle now as an employee for the Y.

The Lethbridge YWCA chapter was founded in 1949 and is part of a global movement on six continents and in nearly 200 countries.

Its goal when the YWCA started here was to “provide young working women and students a safe place to stay in the city,” said a presentation by Young. By 1951 it was incorporated as a society and is currently celebrating its 75th year as a non-profit adapting to the needs of community.

The YWCA’s mission is “enhancing lives through personal empowerment and supportive housing,” its vision being an organization created by women “that is leading the community with innovative solutions to enrich lives, promote fulfillment and create happiness.”

The Lethbridge board is comprised entirely of women, noted Young who discussed various programs that the organization operates, one of those – Amethyst Project – which ceased to operate earlier this year when funding ended.

The YWCA here is probably best known for Harbour House, said Young. Harbour House is an emergency shelter operating 24 hours a day, seven days a week that is funded for 24 beds offering 21-day stays. It provides different resources to women and women with children in need including sexual assault advocacy and support, daily educational programming, goal setting, on-site childcare and a school that is part of the Lethbridge School District.

In the past year Harbour House recorded 2,301 crisis calls and sheltered 292 women and 108 children. Young told the audience that 164 sexual assaults were disclosed in the shelter and 827 people had to be turned away because of capacity. Based on trends, it’s expected that possibly more than 1,000 people will have to be turned away next year because the rate of domestic violence is increasing in Lethbridge, a difficult topic Young says needs to be discussed.

“It’s tough and it’s uncomfortable but change only happens through being in a place that’s uncomfortable,” Young said.

In 2022, the Lethbridge metropolitan area had the second highest rate of family violence in Canada and the highest rate of intimate partner violence, SACPA was told.

Trends show that next year there could be a 15.7 increase in crisis calls, an 18.6 per cent increase in turnaways from Harbour House because of capacity and 31.7 per cent more children in-sheltered.

Amethyst Project provided crisis support and advocacy to people who had experienced sexual violence, both historic or recent with support 24/7. It also provided what was called a “third option,” which allowed a completed Sexual Assault Evidence Kit to be retained for as long as a year which gave survivors extra time to decide whether to pursue legal action. In April, the project closed its doors after 10 years and Young worked to have its spirit kept alive through a partnership between the Victim/ Witness Services unit of the Lehbridge Police Service and Chinook Sexual Assault Centre.

In the past year, the Amethyst Project served 98 people including five males. Of those people, 13 were under 18. Seventeen third option kits were provided.

Other programs run by the YWCA include a summer neighbourhood play program at six city parks. Started by the YWCA in 1987 it provides quality programming for kids aged six to 12. It encourages learning through play by providing an environment where kids can develop, social, physical and cognitive skills through involvement in various activities. This year, it had 1,665 attendees in total.

The YWCA also offers a safe visitation program which in the last year was utilized by 158 families who had 428 scheduled visits. This program offers a secure facility where families have a safe environment free from judgement with facilitators monitoring visits promoting play and supporting participants in navigating parenting. It also offers virtual and phone visits.

The Y’s Hestia Homes program supports and empowers youth aged 17 to 24 who have been, or are, at risk of becoming homeless, SACPA heard. They live in three scattered site homes with an adult role model in each who provides assistance and serves as a mentor. Residential support staff provide house activities such as cooking and cleaning while residents “set goals, manage finances and explore activity options with the support of their case manager.”

Johansen told the audience she is a survivor of domestic abuse 16 years ago who ended up in Harbour House after a relationship ended two days before surgery. With no money or job she came to Harbour House after leaving hospital and staff helped her to arrange for a new life.

But that wasn’t a one-off, Johansen said. She was also abused as a child. Today, she said, she has rebuilt her life, led non-profits and committees and recovered both her personal autonomy and health.

And she now has “an amazing partner” with whom she shares a home and four pets.

When a job opportunity opened up, she felt she was coming full circle back to a place she considers home, Johansen said, noting Harbour House isn’t just the reason she’s a survivor, it’s the reason she’s thriving.

Neufeld talked about her long experience with the YWCA which started in 1986, discussing the challenges and her steadfast belief in its mission. She said in the past four decades, women have been facing more complex mental health and addictions issues and she’s proud to be part of the organization’s evolution.