Just like that, it is time to close another year, and 2022 is a year I will never forget! While we were presented with many challenges, opportunities for growth have provided us with hope for a bright future ahead. It has also been so wonderful seeing our community supporters in person again.

This past year, we saw rates of domestic violence and femicide continue to increase. We found our shelters at capacity and our Outreach Workers with increased caseloads. Our staff tirelessly stepped up to continue providing excellent service to people in the community experiencing violence.

We expanded our Youth Education program, educating over 400 young people in the community in the first six months of 2022. We created a new Youth Champions program to educate teens and created a role focused on domestic violence prevention by engaging the entire family. We also released the third series of our She Is Your Neighbour podcast this summer and heard the inspiring stories of six domestic violence survivors.

In September, we celebrated a major milestone when we opened our first transitional house, Aspen Place. Thanks to our generous community, women and children will be able to transition out of emergency shelter sooner, freeing up space for those who need it most.

Lisa and her children were the first residents of Aspen Place. Due to the housing crisis, they stayed in emergency shelter for 11 months after experiencing escalating violence in the home. After waiting and waiting for an affordable housing offer, Aspen Place opened and Lisa moved into one of the units. She was so excited to make it her own!