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Atira Women's Resource Society - November 2021
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Sorry for being away!
We took a little hiatus from our newsletter, but certainly not from our work to end violence against women and children. See what we've been up to over the past few months!

Every woman and child has the right to live a life free of abuse. Your support is invaluable in the fight against gender-based violence. Thank you!
In this Issue:    
  • Little's Too Modular Housing: Our new development in Surrey for women!
  • Pet Therapy for Staff: Sophie and Ringo came by to brighten a ruff day.
  • National Indigenous Peoples Day: Hot summer days and cultural activities were had!
  • Outreach Van: Have you spotted us driving through the streets?
  • Veronica Block: All moved in and ready to support women in a new space!
  • DTES Artisan Market: Brought to you by the In-Between Spaces Project!
  • Seksik Early Care and Learning Centre: Our first daycare in Vancouver is open!
  • What We're Reading: The latest news and reports on violence against women.
  • Donations: Got any toiletries and other essential items? Send them our way!
Littles Too Modular Housing:

With heavy hearts we demolished Waaban earlier this year, a safe, comfortable and accessible home for the past 21 years to our Waaban Outreach as well as our Housing Outreach programs (don’t worry, we’ve just moved, more to come in the next issue!). The site was needed to build Little’s Too, a modular housing development consisting of 42 self-contained homes for women in Surrey. Each unit will include a bathroom and kitchenette, and the site itself will house a commercial grade kitchen, amenity space, communal dining room, and plenty of outdoor space for a community garden. Stay tuned to learn more about Littles Too, the concurrent renovations to original Little’s Place, and our new location for our Waaban and Housing Outreach programs!

Pet Therapy with BC Pets and Friends:

We partnered with BC Pets and Friends to bring some joy and paw-sitivity to the staff in our programs! Doggo superstars Sophie and Ringo stopped by Sorella Housing for Women to bring some cheer and much need pet therapy to our frontline staff, who work tirelessly everyday to support women and children in our programs. Even the children stopped by to say hello!

National Indigenous Peoples Day:

Despite the heat dome and ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, staff at a number of our programs found a safe and cool way to celebrate National Indigenous Peoples Day this year, recognizing and honouring the diverse culture, traditions and achievements of First Nations, Métis and Inuk peoples across Turtle Island (North America). Festivities included traditional activities such as dreamcatcher and medicine bag making, and a Powwow dance. Delicious bannock, chili and refreshing watermelon were also served to beat the heat (and no celebration is complete without cake)! 

As we celebrate, we also recognize the need to commit ourselves to reconciliation and moving forward towards a future where all First Nations, Metis and Inuk woman and child's rights are respected and valued. We honour the knowledge, wisdom, strength and invaluable contributions of Indigenous Peoples, who despite generations of and ongoing colonialism, assimilation, racism and other forms of oppression, continue to resist and thrive across this land.

Read more about Truth and Reconciliation here and here, and more about Canada's colonial past and present here, and by clicking here.


Program Spotlight: Outreach Van

Maybe you've seen our Outreach Van out in the streets of Surrey?

 

Our Outreach Van is typically on the road between 7:00pm and 2:30am handing out supplies to women in the community, including food, drinks, hygiene products, harm reduction supplies and many other essential items women may be in need of, supporting roughly 30 women each night. Staff and Peers work to build trusting relationships with women who are homeless or on the streets due to precarious and or unsafe housing, in order to provide referrals (housing, medical and more), one-to-one emotional support and other necessary resources.

If you would like to learn more on how to support our Outreach programs, including the Outreach Van, email donations@atira.bc.ca or check out our website here.

Veronica Block Supportive Recovery: 

Veronica Block Supportive Recovery Program for First Nations, Métis and Inuit Women has officially opened its doors! Our newest transitional supportive housing contains 30 self-contained homes right in the heart of Downtown Vancouver and is staffed 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Above you can see the new staff team at the Veronica Block on their first day of training, while getting treated to a gorgeous view of the North Shore mountains, something staff and residents will get to enjoy daily on the common rooftop patio!  

Veronica Block Support Recovery supports women wanting to eliminate or reduce their substance use, while offering programs including 16 Steps to Discovery and Empowerment, one-to-one counselling, culturally-relevant programming, and other support services onsite.

Downtown Eastside Artisan Market:  

We want to give a big thanks to our sponsors EOS Lightmedia, KimPrints, Eclipse Awards, and to everyone who braved the rain to support local artisans for our DTES Artisan Market, brought to you by Atira Development Society's In-Between Spaces Project. Our October 23rd event welcomed artists in the Downtown Eastside to showcase their work, including crafts, clothing, free yoga classes, and even balloon animals! Thanks to the DTES Neighbourhood House, attendees and artists got to enjoy some delicious beef pasta with coleslaw!

We'd like to congratulate artist Sammy who was voted our DTES Creator to Watch, chosen by visitors of the market! Not only did Sammy sell her handcrafted pieces, she also offered education and resources on Indigenous medicines and art! We were so glad to be able to host such a wonderful event, helping folks foster relationships and bring a sense of community to the area.

If you missed this event, don't worry because we'll be back with more markets in the upcoming year! If you are interested in joining as a vendor, please email inbetweenspaces@atira.ca to learn more. 

Seksik Early Care and Learning Centre:

We are so happy to announce our newest and first trauma-informed daycare facility in the Downtown Eastside is officially open! Located conveniently at 321 Princess Avenue at Cordova, in the heart of Strathcona, this daycare caters to children 0-5 years of age, with eight infant/toddler (0-36 months) spaces and 16 spaces for children aged 3-5. From speaking with members of the community, we learned that the need for childcare support for this particular age group is essential in order to support families.

  

This location will ensure to a safe and fun space for children to build their social, emotional and cognitive development using an emergent curriculum. At Atira, we take into consideration the environment within the programs and focus on what is necessary for children's education and development. We want to thank our partners Affordable Housing Society, Princess Place, and all of our staff who have worked tirelessly over the past three years to make this space and program a reality in a much-needed neighbourhood.

To learn more about our daycare programs, visit our website today.

Donation Request: 

We are seeking new and/or gentyle used donations of warm winter jackets, scarves, gloves, socks, toques and any other warm winter accessories.

If you are interested in running a donation drive, or have these items and would like to donate, email donations@atira.bc.ca for more information. 

What We're Reading: For updates on gendered violence, follow Atira on Twitter at @freeofviolence.  
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Atira Women's Resource Society is dedicated to supporting women and children affected by violence by offering safe, supportive housing and by delivering education and advocacy aimed at ending all forms of gendered violence. 

Your support is invaluable.

 
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Copyright © 2021 Atira Women's Resource Society. All rights reserved.

Our mailing address is:
#201-190 Alexander St.
Vancouver, BC V6A 1B5

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