West End Women's Centre launches domestic violence programming for newcomers

A domestic violence program for newcomer women is one of three new programs launching at the West Central Women's Resource Centre.

The centre received $118,000 in annual funding Monday through the province's family violence prevention program.

The money will help address Manitoba's high rate of violence against women, which is double the national average and disproportionately high among Indigenous women, women with disabilities, newcomers and LGBT2SQ+ people, said the centre's executive director, Lorie English.

"Leaving violence is often a difficult and scary thing for women to do," said English. "It can mean losing everything they own."

The Women's Resource Centre in Brandon, whose services include crisis intervention and counselling in English and Spanish, also received $58,000 in funding from the province.

Popular program used as template

The centre is using its 10-week Red Road to Healing program as a template to develop Healing Together, a domestic violence program aimed specifically at newcomer women.

The Red Road to Healing program has provided healing for survivors of violence through Indigenous teachings for nearly a decade, English said.

The new Healing Together program will reach newcomer women who are survivors of domestic violence through cultural teachings that will vary based on the women participating.

The new program is part of a new initiative to end family violence that will also include a men's healing circle for perpetrators of violence and a sharing circle for youth who have witnessed or experienced family violence.

"Statistics show that perpetrators of violence have often also been victims themselves," said English. "Intergenerational violence and trauma will never cease without the participation and healing of perpetrators of violence."

Funding will help cut down waiting list

Jolene Wilson, a knowledge-keeper and community connector at the West Central Women's Resource Centre, knows firsthand how important the centre's programs are. When she first walked through its doors years ago, she had experienced homelessness, addictions and child and family services involvement as a child and a mother.

"I came for shampoo, and was offered an opportunity to take one of the many programs here," said Wilson. "It was just a snowball effect from there."

Wilson said the new provincial funding will help the centre shorten its waiting list for programs. Right now, there are 22 women on the waiting list for the next Red Road to Healing program, which only accepts 10 women per session.

"We're hoping we can accommodate all women who walk through that door I walked through these doors, and no matter how small I felt, folks saw me for who I was," Wilson said.

"And now I'm hoping to continue the work with all of this, to show people that it can be done. And I'm gonna walk with them every step of the way."