A local not-for-profit is one step closer to achieving its long-term goal of establishing a rural safe house for victims of domestic abuse.
It was announced Saturday that the Town of Morinville is donating a piece of land to the Jessica Martel Memorial Foundation for the purpose of building and operating a women’s shelter.
“This is a big win,” said JMMF spokesperson Kris Porlier, who indicated that the foundation was looking at purchasing land. “This saved us in total probably $100,000.”
Providing a safe place for women to escape violence within the community has been the foundation’s ultimate goal, since it formed four years ago. During the summer, a housing committee was struck to begin looking into the costs of different models, as well as to begin talks with town administration about acquiring suitable property.
The municipally owned property will be serviced by the Town for a cost of about $40,000 and could be transferred to the foundation as early as this spring.
The location of the property is being kept secret to protect the security of victims.
Mayor Lisa Holmes said approving the land transfer and servicing was an easy decision for council.
“We need to acknowledge the tragedy that occurred in our community and use it as a springboard,” she said.
Jessica Martel, for whom the foundation is named, was murdered by her common-law husband in front of their three children in 2009. While attempting to escape the violent situation she was told there was a wait list of between six to eight weeks to access a shelter.
Long wait lists are not an uncommon situation, as Alberta continues to face a shortage of shelter beds.
More than 15,000 women and children were turned away from safe houses in 2015-16 according to the Alberta Council of Women’s Shelters’ annual report.
Most shelters are also located in urban centres, which can act as a deterrent for women leaving, since seeking help would mean uprooting their lives, said Porlier.
“They’re going to have a place that’s still rural, still close to their community, that keeps them tied to the infrastructure that they’re used to,” he said.
The JMMF shelter is meant to serve the surrounding areas of Legal, Bon Accord, Sturgeon County, but Doreen Slessor believes it could also benefit the residents of St. Albert, especially if a parent-model is pursued.
“Some clients are hesitant to live in traditional shelters in Edmonton,” said Slessor. “A parent-model shelter is not as intimidating.”
During a meeting with the Minister of Status of Women Stephanie McLean, Holmes addressed the lack of capital funding towards women’s shelters.
“We haven’t seen capital funding in years,” she said.
Holmes said she would continue to advocate on behalf of the JMMF shelter.
