Hey Collingwood, the women's shelter could use your help right now

Staff at Collingwood’s women’s shelter face a pandemic battle on two fronts.

COVID-19 has meant extra lockdowns for My Friend’s House, but it’s on top of what Executive Director Alison FitzGerald refers to as the pandemic of gender-based violence.

“Gender-based violence has always been a pandemic,” said FitzGerald. “We are facing a complicated and unprecedented situation when self-isolating at home is both the primary advice to respond to our current public health crisis, yet the most common location of harassment, violence, and lethality for women and children experiencing and or at risk of gender-based violence.”

The shelter’s phone lines are “eerily quiet,” but that could be because women don’t have the freedom to call, she said.

“I anticipate the calls we will get over the coming weeks will be more urgent in nature,” said FitzGerald.

In Barrie, police are reporting an uptick in domestic calls since the pandemic was declared and people began self-isolating.

FitzGerald is encouraging people to keep checking in on relatives, co-workers, and friends who you suspect could be in abusive relationships.

“Ask them how they are and if they need anything … just be general about it,” she recommended. “Just so they know there’s someone out there thinking about them, and the woman knows she can call on you for help. Staying connected is the most important thing.”

The shelter is currently full with eight women and three children staying there full-time.

Though it’s unlikely anyone will be moving out of the shelter during the pandemic period, FitzGerald said women needing shelter should call anyway and the My Friend’s House team would do all they could to get women and children to a safe place.

“My Friend’s House remains committed to ensuring the safety of women and children and our 24/7 crisis line remains operational,” states a press release from the shelter.

But there’s still the matter of pandemic number two: COVID-19.

The shelter is following directives by public health, according to the news release.

Transitional and legal advocacy, counselling, and the children’s program will be offered through the phone only.

The shelter has also implemented strict hygiene practices and frequent cleaning and sanitizing measures, and is practicing social distancing with residents and staff.

“We’ve just had to spend $3,000 on personal protective equipment … there’s a lot more disinfecting, we’ve had to purchase masks, more gloves, etc,” FitzGerald told CollingwodToday. “That was an unanticipated expense.”

On top of added expenditures, revenue from fundraising is lost.

There was a comedy night with Elvira Kurt planned at Blue Mountain on March 27. In April there was another show with My Son the Hurricane scheduled and a Greek night at Prime Seven Nine later in the month. All will be postponed or cancelled.

Fitzgerald said the shelter was aiming to raise about $20,000 from the concert and comedy night.

“I haven’t been able to do a significant analysis of where our financial position is going to be,” said FitzGerald. “We’re going to be overspent and we’re not going to hit our targets in terms of revenue because of this pandemic … we’ve been hearing announcements of federal and provincial money coming our way, but at this point we have no idea what it’s going to be or how we’re going to get it.”

While the shelter cannot accept physical deliveries of items, FitzGerald said cash donations will help a lot right now.

If you would like to help by planning a third-party fundraiser, though any event will have to wait until after the COVID-19 pandemic, FitzGerald said to reach out to staff.

“Everybody is still at work, and if people are hatching a thought around a third party event, call us absolutely.” she said. “If they can work with us to hatch a plan for when the pandemic is over, that would be so helpful … To know that stuff is coming, for not only us but for the women we’re serving right now, it would be huge.”

Meanwhile, inside the shelter, My Friend’s House staff are doing what they can to plan games and activities to keep the residents cared for.

“There’s lots of baking happening, probably way too much,” said FitzGerald.

To make a donation to My Friend’s House, you can join a monthly giving campaign at championsofcourage.ca, or make a one-time donation online here.

If you’d like to plan a fundraiser for My Friend’s House, you can reach out by phone at 705-999-2504 or by email at [email protected].