The Lloydminster Interval Home Society will be launching its month-long campaign for Family Violence Prevention Month on November 1.
The society will be raising awareness by placing ten red silhouettes with stories of domestic abuse attached to them at City Hall and the RCMP building. This is the fifth year the society has brought the program to the city.
Program manager Kathryn Ford says everyone has a role to play in addressing and preventing family violence.
“We want people to feel empowered in some way and to take some positive action. The first step of that is awareness and we really hope we can motivate people to make those small steps so that they can prevent family violence.”
Ford says she feels each year they promote this campaign there are more people listening and becoming aware of family violence within the community. She says the campaign also helps provide people with information on services and programs the Interval Home provides.
In 2018, the Interval Home Society served 347 women in children in Lloydminster and surrounding communities as well as responded to 1,800 crisis calls. They’ve provided help to 89 women through their violence outreach services.
“It is a significant issue. We have significant turn-aways from the shelter each year. By turn-aways, I mean individuals, women or women with children who are seeking shelter fleeing family violence situations or situations of harm and we’re not able to accommodate them in the shelter.”
Last year, the Interval home had roughly 1,800 turn-aways who were provided with residential services like other shelters or alternative supports.
The Interval Home Society will be announcing more events, engagements and presentations throughout the month.