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Buckhorn
shelter provides safe space for women, kids Life in the country is often characterized as idyllic. The lack of noise and connections between people, the sense of separation from others, the distance between neighbours – these are dividends in an ideal world. But take all of those advantages and distort them, twist them, and at a time of domestic crisis these same advantages may become liabilities -- even dangerous, especially for women and children. Separation becomes isolation. Distance becomes dangerous. The Rural Outreach Centre in Buckhorn was born out of that reality just before Christmas last year. Two years in the making, the shelter was sparked by a representative of the YWCA in Peterborough interested in establishing a link for the rural community in the area, according to Nancy Fairweather. Nancy is the director of publicity and communications for the group. She says there is a great deal of abuse that occurs in rural areas that is unaccounted for and it simply goes unreported. “No one is aware of this (the abuse) because of the isolation – people live farther apart,” she says in a telephone interview. “They’re afraid to tell their family members and their neighbours,” she adds. The shelter is supported by a number of community partners, including the Housing Resource Centre, a local councillor, the Reeve and the OPP, says Nancy. “The Township has been behind us 110 per cent, including covering the cost of our insurance,” says Nancy. Nancy says it was paramount to bring the police on board. “Police are fully aware that we’re here, which is helpful for them” in troubled domestic situations. With two bedrooms and a bathroom, the shelter is meant only to be a 24 to 48 hour safe haven for women and children, notes Nancy. At that point, the outreach centre will do their best to ensure new accommodation is found in the same area. Having such a centre right in the area where people live is important, says Nancy, because of a number of reasons. Firstly, convenience is a factor but more importantly it has to do with keeping children in the same school with uninterrupted class time. “There’s also the stigma about having to leave one’s area,” says Nancy. The small shelter cost $50,000 to get off the ground.
Nancy says there was a great deal of support from FaithWorks, an Anglican
charity, and the support of St. Matthews/St. Aidan Church in Buckhorn,
as well as individual supporters. To contact the Buckhorn Rural Outreach Centre, call 1-866-844-7622. |
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