WINning: The Trials, Tribulations, and Triumphs of Opening a Women's Shelter

2020·9.7 MB·English

by  Mildon, Marsha, 1946-

W
I
N
n
In 1968, women arriving in Edmonton without friends,
i
money, or homes, had NO good choices. The people who n WINning:
g
realized this came together to start a shelter. They had no
idea this simple plan would change their lives and involve : T
h
many in fifty years of important, but difficult, action. How the e
T The Trials, Tribulations, and Triumphs
founders got started, how they worked for years despite
r
ia of Opening a Women’s Shelter
setbacks, how they fought to keep it going, and how they
l
s
won is all part of the book. Society has changed, yet there ,
T
r
are still women desperate for shelter and people working to i
b
u
provide it: these are their stories…
l
a
t Marsha Mildon
i
o
n
WINning reflects the ups and downs of fifty years of s
,

sheltering, fifty years during which a new status for the a
n
women of Canada developed. d
—Ardis Beaudry T
Founder and life member of EWS Ltd. r
i
u
m
My contact with the Women’s Shelter goes back to its p
beginning as a store-front operation… It was a totally new h
s
concept at the time, providing an overnight haven for
o
women without shelter. As a Judge of the Family & Juvenile f

Court, I was well aware even then of the hopeless plight of O
p
so many women…
e
—Marjorie M. Bowker n
i
first female Judge of the Family and Juvenile n
g
Courts of Alberta and family law pioneer

a

W
WINning chronicles the stories—heartbreaking and
o
hilarious—of the dedicated people, especially the women, m
who formed the first women’s shelters in Edmonton,
e
Alberta—and of the sheltered women themselves, who n
persevered in harsh conditions and deeply appreciated 978-1-7771853-0-5 ’s

the help they obtained. History and story combined; a S
h
wonderful read! e
—Mary-Lou Veeken lt
e
Librarian and avid reader
r
Housing for Women Book Society
Library and Archives Canada Cataloguing in Publication
Title: WINning : the trials, tribulations, and triumphs of opening a
women’s shelter / Marsha Mildon.
Names: Mildon, Marsha, 1946- author.
Description: Includes bibliographical references.
Identifiers: Canadiana (print) 20200232827 | Canadiana (ebook)
20200232983 | ISBN 9781777185305 (softcover) | ISBN
9781777185329 (ebook) | ISBN 9781777185312 (PDF)
Subjects: LCSH: Women’s shelter—Alberta—Edmonton.
Classification: LCC HV1448.C32 E36 2020 |
DDC 362.83/8309712334—dc23
Design, production and layout by: Melanie Eastley and Lu Ziola
Printing: Capital Colour, Edmonton
© 2020 Housing for Women Book Society
Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
We respectfully acknowledge that Housing for Women Book Society, Edmonton
Women’s Shelter Ltd, and WIN House operate in several locations throughout
ᐊᒥᐢᑿᒌᐚᐢᑲᐦᐃᑲᐣ (Amiskwacîwâskahikan) on Treaty 6 territory, the territory and
gathering place of diverse Indigenous peoples including the Papaschase, Cree, Nakota
Sioux, Dene, Ojibway, and the homeland of the Métis Nation.
Contents
Foreword and Dedication xi
Preface xiii
Author Acknowledgements xv
Committee Acknowledgements and Donors xvii
Catholic Women’s League councils xviii
Knights of Columbus councils xix
Others xix
Acronyms and Initialisms xx
Prologue Changing History 1968 xxii
Starting Shelter for Women
Chapter One
Housing and Community in Edmonton in the late 1960s 1
Women’s Place in the 1960s/70s 4
Daisy Wilson’s Words about the Shelter 6
Chapter Two
Accidental Founders 1968-70 8
Church Groups 9
Secular Groups 16
Professional Women 17
Baby-Boomers 22
Ardis Beaudry’s Shelter Story 24
The Trials, Tribulations, and Triumphs of Opening a Women’s Shelter iii
Chapter Three
Safety in a Bell Tower 1970 27
The Mossman Report 27
A New Way to Shelter Women 29
November 29, 1969 to January 23, 1970 32
Opening Night 38
Stories from the Daybook 41
Chapter Four
Sheltering in a Pawn Shop 1970-71 43
Finance Committee 46
Facilities Committee 50
Personnel Committee 53
Volunteer Committee 53
Shelter Clientele 54
Outreach 55
A Volunteer’s Shelter Story 57
Chapter Five
The Ups and Downs of 1971 59
Finance Committee 59
United Community Fund (UCF) Study on Transient
and Homeless Women 63
Facilities Committee 67
Personnel Committee 70
Opportunities For Youth and
Local Initiatives projects 70
Native Brotherhood’s OFY Project 71
iv WINning:
Volunteer Committee 72
Shelter Clientele 74
A Volunteer Co-ordinator’s Shelter Story 75
Chapter Six
Regulars, Research, Rehabilitation:
The Three Rs of 1972-73 77
Changes 77
Facilities Committee 82
Personnel Committee 85
Rehabilitation 87
Regulars 88
Research 90
‘Housing First’: Sheltered Accommodation September 1973 93
Stories from the Daybook about Sheltering Women
Released from Psychiatric Institutions 96
Chapter Seven
The End of the Women’s Emergency Shelter, 1974 100
First Annual Meeting of EWS Ltd , March 26, 1974 100
A Woman’s Story about Life without the Shelter 118
Looking Back at Starting Shelter for Women
Why Start Shelters for Women? 119
The Trials, Tribulations, and Triumphs of Opening a Women’s Shelter v
Building Shelter for Women
Chapter Eight
The Founders Part Two 123
Emergency Shelter staff and volunteers 123
EWS Contacts 124
The Women’s Movement and the WIN phenomenon 124
The Young Professionals 126
Other EWS/WIN Founders 128
Stories from the Mailbag: Is This Justice? 129
Chapter Nine
In Search of Safety Again 1975-77 130
Battered Women with Children Project 134
Stories from our Mailbag: A Supporter 137
Chapter Ten
WINning One 1978 138
Moving Forward 139
The Proposal 141
The Lee Foundation 146
From Planning to Acting 150
Opening 155
Stories of Being a Volunteer at WIN house 157
vi WINning:
Chapter Eleven
Challenging, Hectic, Rewarding 1979-80 159
Violence in Families Is a Continuing Threat 160
Myths 161
Cycles of Violence 163
The First Months of WIN House 166
Public Education and Information 167
Finances 169
Operations 170
Facilities 171
Volunteers 171
Not Enough Room 171
Faith and Determination 172
Battered Women: Who Are They and What Are Their Needs?
An Assessment of WIN House 172
Changes at WIN in 1980 174
A Woman’s Christmas Story at WIN House 175
Chapter Twelve
WIN Times Two 1981-82 176
Architectural Programming 179
Development Appeal 182
Fundraising, Fundraising, and Dreams 184
Formation of the Alberta Council of Women’s Shelters 189
Meanwhile back at WIN I… 191
Christmas 1981 193
An Assistant Director’s Shelter Story 194
The Trials, Tribulations, and Triumphs of Opening a Women’s Shelter vii
Chapter Thirteen
Grounding our Flights of Fancy 1983-90 197
Children Who See or Experience Violence in their Homes 198
Second Stage Housing Proposal 201
Elderly Adult Resource Service (EARS) 203
Lurana Shelter 204
Future Development Project 1991 205
A Child’s Story of Abuse before Shelter 206
Chapter Fourteen
The Every Day Work of Sheltering 1983-90 208
Finance and Fundraising Approaches 208
WINDFALL 209
30-30-30 209
Other Fundraising Activities 1983-1995 210
Information and Public Education 211
Facilities, Health, and Safety Committee 213
Working with Battered Women and Children 213
Sometimes the Little Things Mean the Most 214
A Crisis Worker’s Story of Sheltering 217
Chapter Fifteen
Evaluation, Board Governance, and a Union 1987-95 219
Purpose 219
Interviews With Key Informants 220
An Outreach Worker’s Shelter Story 227
Looking Back at Building Shelter for Women 229
viii WINning:
Providing Shelter for Women
Chapter Sixteen
When Shelters are Threatened 1992 235
A Male Volunteer’s Story of Sheltering 241
Chapter Seventeen
Sheltering through Financial Restraint 1992-95 243
A Survivor’s Story of Success 251
Chapter Eighteen
Shelter in the Twenty-First Century 2001-10 252
A Trafficked Woman’s Story of Shelter 260
Chapter Nineteen
A Shelter for Newcomers 2009-20 262
Sandra Danco 2000–2010 263
Janine Fraser 2011–2014 265
Tess Gordey 2014 to present (2020) 267
The Work at Carol’s House/WIN III 268
Stories from Carol’s House 269
Chapter Twenty
Not Shy About Collaborating 2014-20 271
Partnering Directly 277
Stories from the WIN Houses 280
Looking Back at Providing Shelter for Women 283
Epilogue Not a Conclusion 287
Reference List 289
The Trials, Tribulations, and Triumphs of Opening a Women’s Shelter ix