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Edmonton Journal from Edmonton, Alberta, Canada • 9

Publication:
Edmonton Journali
Location:
Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Issue Date:
Page:
9
Extracted Article Text (OCR)

LIZ NICHOLLS If it's live theatre, Liz was there ClassifiedB3 hp 8 11 Ly EdmorMournal Call 498-5500 to subscribe EDITOR: Kathy Kerr, 429 5399 0 If 3 1 mmm. WIN House founders mark 25th anniversary V. 1 'r I IJ J.lllll'.-.i.ni.i. ill I mi I mill ii WMt I Stories by VICKI HALL 'Journal Staff Writer Edmonton Daisey Wilson didn't like what she read in the paper, so she decided to do something about it. And because she did, thousands of Edmonton women and children have escaped violence land abuse in the past 25 years.

Wilson and some of the other founders of the Edmonton "Women's Shelter met for tea last -week to celebrate the shelter's 1 25th anniversary. They laughed they remembered the difficulties of the past, but also contem- plated the grim future that some women can face. I Wilson was flipping through The Journal back in 1968 when she came across an article on rural women moving to the city. The article said women were being picked up at the bus depot by pimps. Many got caught up in the cycle of prostitution and drugs before they had a chance to do anything else.

"I couldn't believe what I was reading," Wilson said. "These poor girls just wanted to come to the big city. They were so trusting. "I don't believe they really knew what they were getting into." The article bothered Wilson for days. She went down to the bus depot and discovered most homeless women could choose between going with the pimps or Steve Simon, The Journal Founders of the Edmonton women's shelter gathered at All Saints' Cathedral, site of the first shelter 25 years ago.

Sitting, from left, Jessica Hanna, Lynn Hannley, Phyllis Ellis and Ardis Beaudry. Standing, from left, Daisey Wilson, Lucille Ross, Betty Nigro vJJ they were warm." In 1974, the shelter moved again and was renamed the Women's Accommodation Centre. The City Centre Church Corporation took over management responsibilities. At that point the Edmonton Women's Shelter decided to focus on battered women. "We knew there were many women trying to escape from violent relationships," Beaudry said.

"But we had no idea how many there were." Group's first responsibility is keeping women safe 9:30 a.m. The shelter moved. And moved. And moved again. "All of our landlords loved us until they found out what we were doing," Beaudry said.

The women's shelter had many critics. Some people said prostitutes were doing business out of the shelter. Others accused the shelter of haboring young runaways. "If we didn't take the youths in, they'd be sleeping on the streets," Beaudry said. "At least If you're in an abusive relationship and need someone to talk to, call WIN House anytime at 479-0058.

shelters. If they're full, social services will put her up in a hotel." "And even if she's in a hotel, we'll still check on her a couple of times a day to make sure she's doing OK" The average stay for a family is three weeks. Some women continue working while at the shelter. Others spend their time trying to plan their new life. Some have to find a new place to live.

Others need a lawyer to help them press charges against their partner. Many need to rest after months or years of being in a violent relationship. "Each woman is different and has her own needs," Sewell says. "We'll do whatever we can to help." -J mtmm 4 V.r-f '1 increased, so did the number of -J women calling for help. There are currently four shelters in the Edmonton area.

In 1993, 378 fam-'; ilies were admitted to the WIN shelters, but 1,381 were turned away due to lack of space. "I wish we could close down the shelters we have now," Phyl- lis Ellis said. "I wish violence I against women would stop alto- gether and we could turn our attention to other things." "But I know I'm only dream- ing." Taking the first step to a better life Leaving her abusive boyfriend was one of the most difficult things Diane ever did. But as the violence continued to escalate, Diane knew she and her two young children had to get out. The first time she left, she only managed to stay away for six months.

Missing her boyfriend and the adult companionship, she returned. And then the cycle began again. The second time, Diane called WIN House. And she says she's never looked back. "For the first time in years, it felt like somebody cared." Escaping an abusive relationshipB2 Huizinga leads, occasionally playing his flashlight over a doorway.

They missed a break-in last night on one of their two patrols. Borbeau and Paquette stay close. Many areas are so poorly lit a woman or child might feel uncomfortable walking alone. The patrols, which began Friday night, are supposed to deter, not catch, troublemakers. Patrollers are instructed to avoid confrontation and instead take notes and call police on their cell phones.

There is no trouble on this early evening patrol. The few people who are met smile and wave. Back at their temporary headquarters, the patrollers linger awhile before heading home to their families. With 12 people showing up for three patrols and no trouble, Huizinga judges the night a success. As people begin moving toward the door he arches his neck around the corner and calls out, "Who's coming back for the second patrol?" A mixed chorus of affirmations "I am, I'll be there" echoes off the walls.

He smiles. "Okay, we're rolling." wish we could close down the shelters we have now. I wish violence against women would stop altogether and we could turn our attention to other things. But I know I'm only dreaming." Phyllis Ellis sleeping on the street. Wilson and 27 other concerned citizens decided to find a safe place for homeless women to sleep at night.

Two years later, the Women's Emergency Shelter opened in the bell tower of All Saints' Cathedral at 10039 103rd St. Ardis Beaudry will never forget those first few months. One night a social worker brought a woman who was extremely drunk to the shelter. The woman barely made it up the stairs, because they were so winding and narrow. "The social worker left me all alone with this lady who was so drunk she could barely stand" Beaudry recalled with a giggle.

"I had no idea what to do with her. "Thank goodness she finally fell asleep." The volunteers at the shelter quickly realized the women needed somewhere to go during the day as well. The church was only available from 4.30 p.m. to Children can play in the back yard, but there's a huge fence to make sure they're safe. The location of both WIN houses is a secret.

Residents and workers are the only ones supposed to know where they are. Bernice Sewell, the interim director of Edmonton Women's Shelter, says most of the women know better than to tell their partners where they are. "Sometimes, a woman will go back to her partner and he'll push her to tell him where the shelter is," Sewell says. "We make sure each woman knows how important it is to keep the location a secret. "It's for her own safety.

Most violent spouses are only interested in hurting their partner." The WIN shelters can together hold up to 51 families. Admittance is on a first come, first served basis. But the shelter helps women even when there's no room. "We'll always make sure a woman is safe," Sewell says. "We can refer her to one of the other "We're not connected with their campaign and they don't check with me to see whether it's OK to do this or not." Doug Main, of the Greater Edmonton Growth Campaign small businesses.

According to Doug Main, of the Greater Edmonton Growth Campaign, the campaign is not connected to his pro-business group, whose goal is to raise voters' awareness of business issues. It is the work of "some young Edmonton business people who are concerned about the state of our city," Main said. The former provincial Tory cabinet minister said he he knows some of the stickmen, but refused to reveal their identities. "We're not connected with their campaign and they don't check with me to see whether it's OK to do this or not." Ward 4 alderman Tooker Gomberg likened the ads to schoolyard pranks, Journal Staff Edmonton Going to a women's shelter can be scary if you don't know what to expect. "I thought there would be rows of bunk beds in some kind of huge fortress," one former resident says.

"There was no way I wanted to take my kids somewhere like that." Edmonton Women's Shelter operates two bright and sunny WIN (Women in Need) houses. Each family has its own room, and there's a big kitchen, a dining room and a family room with a TV. And the play room has enough games, stuffed animals and toys to amuse kids for hours. While the shelters are comfortable and friendly, safety is the No. 1 concern of the staff.

There are three locks plus an intercom on the front door of WIN 1. Trained staff members are the only ones allowed to open the doors, in case someone happens to be lurking behind the door. ft 1 1 il The first WIN House opened in 1978. It was the only shelter in Canada which took both women and children trying to escape abusive relationships. The demand was greater than anyone ever expected.

In 1980, 229 families were admitted and 471 were turned away due to a lack of space. They immediately went to work on opening another shelter. A second shelter named WIN 2 opened in 1982. But as the number of shelters jr mwi to exist. Many of the Rundle's problems noise, vandalism, break-ins are mostly the devil's work of bored children and teenagers.

"We've seen four-year-olds out here at 10:30 at night, eight- and nine-year-olds at one and two in the morning" says Debbie Bor-beau, a patroller who like the others was recruited by a flyer stuffed in her mailbox. Borbeau and her husband own a duplex across from Rundle. "I'm here because I have three children and I care about the neighborhood my children are raised in," she says. "I think Rundle has a lot of potential if people just get involved." The other patroller in the group, Diana Paquette, got involved because she believes people have to take some responsibility for where they live. "The cops can't be everywhere and I don't think they should be expected to do everything." ff u-- Li Children are made welcome at the city's two women's shelters.

The cheerful homes offer private both family areas and common rooms, and there are lots of activities to keep the little ones busy. Campaign sticking it to city council's record Rundle Heights patrol hopes to unite community and stop crime "We don't have any more crime here than anywhere else in the city. What we're dealing with is the perception that crime is worse here." Ralph Huizinga, one of the patrol's organizers DON RETSON Journal Staff Writer Edmonton Who are the Edmonton Stick-men and why are they saying such nasty things about city council? Whoever they are, most council members don't think much of the guerilla warfare tactics they're waging to discredit council, i "It sounds like they're backroom curmudgeons," Mayor Jan Reimer said of those responsible for a series of biting billboard advertisements. "It certainly isn't a women's group." The latest billboard, erected late last week at the corner of 101st street and 104th Avenue, proclaims: "Edmonton City Council the best advertising Calgary ever had." The ad is signed by the Edmonton Stickmen. A recorded message at the phone number provided on the billboard invites callers to say why they agree or disagree.

No one from the organization returned a reporter's call on the weekend. Reimer said she isn't surprised the people want to remain anonymous given that the ads are false in portraying the city as an economic basket case. The truth, said Reimer, is that Edmonton created more jobs than Calgary last year and also had record growth in CHARLES RUSNELL Journal Staff Writer Edmonton It's 8:03 p.m. as the first volunteers begin drifting into a vacant rowhouse in a low-rent area of northeast Edmonton. Each arrival dons a navy-blue nylon windbreaker with Neighborhood Patrol printed on the back in large white block letters.

The patrollers six men, six women divide into three groups and their leaders huddle around a colored map to choose a patrol route. Armed with flashlights and cell phones, they head out into the rabbit warren of 1,000 wall-to-wall housing units that is Rundle Heights. Rundle Heights and its sister development of Abbotsfield were built in the early '70s to meet an urgent demand for affordable housing in Edmonton created by the oil-fuelled economic boom. City planners dismissed concerns that jamming hundreds of units into an area without much green space was a recipe for creating a low-income ghetto. Today, up to two-thirds of some of the complexes are vacant, despite monthly rents as low as $375 for a three-bedroom town-house.

"We don't have any more crime here than anywhere else in the city," says Ralph Huizinga, one of the patrol's organizers. "What we're dealing with is the perception that crime is worse here." The patrols are as much an attempt to bond a transient community together as an attempt to deter petty crime. "No one is operating under the delusion that these patrols are going to change things around here overnight," says Huizinga, who with several other property managers organized the patrols. "But we have a different group of people out here every night. They get to know each other and that helps form a sense of community." A neighborhood with a sense of community is a place where neighbors care for their property and for each other.

If that happens, people will view Rundle as a permanent home to raise a family rather than just a cheap place.

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