Nine years after Jessica Martel's murder, an emergency shelter in her memory is opening its doors in Morinville.
Jessie's House is the first shelter to be built in Alberta in 22 years. It is set to open May 19 at 8 a.m.
The $1.6-million shelter is a 9,200-square-foot, 35-bed facility. However, it will be operating at a reduced capacity of 17 beds to follow physical distancing procedures. The opening date was initially impacted as they had to ensure their policies and procedures exceeded health and safety requirements.
Jessie’s House is “more than just a bed” and offers a broad range of services through a trauma-informed practice approach, according to Teena Hughson, the community engagement co-ordinator for the Jessica Martel Memorial Foundation.
“It is an inclusive facility serving individuals of any age or gender with the capacity to support large families,” Hughson explained.
The Jessica Martel Memorial Foundation (JMMF) was cofounded by Lynne Rosychuk, Martel’s mother, in 2012 in memory of Martel and in response to the shortage of emergency beds in the area.
Martel was killed by her common-law husband, James Urbaniak, on April 29, 2009. Martel had previously tried to leave him but had been told that wait times to get into a shelter were six to eight weeks. She was planning on leaving him the night she was murdered, but he found out about her plan.
When the JMMF was established in 2012, people immediately started to call the organization for help. JMMF developed a family violence outreach program and other educational programs, and ultimately they started to work on getting the shelter built.
“Our community was deeply concerned about the situation,” Hughson said. “We saw a need for services directly in our region and we felt compelled, inspired and driven by Jess’s memory and her story, to do the work necessary to get this far and to build this shelter.”
Last December, the Alberta Council of Women's Shelters (ACWS) released a report showing a 38-per-cent increase in women being turned away from shelters. While 10,128 women, children and seniors were sheltered that year, 23,247 were turned away because there was no space for them.
“We certainly know in Alberta that women’s shelters are needed. We know that Alberta has amongst the highest rates of domestic violence of all the provinces of Canada – and we have seen, over the last couple of years, an increase in severity in the violence that women are experiencing,” said Jan Reimer, the executive director for ACWS.
Government funding for the construction of women’s shelters has not always been a priority.
“Women’s shelters weren’t built, and very little dollars were provided. During the boom time, we saw the population increasing, but women’s shelter capacity being held at a steady level,” Reimer said.
“I’m pleased that over the last three or four years, both provincial and federal governments have realized that that isn’t the best strategy and have committed to providing construction dollars, at least.”
The town of Morinville donated the land to JMMF in 2018 for Jessie’s House, and “their recent announcement that we have been granted tax-free status is evident of the level of support that we have,” said Hughson.
Jessie’s House has been funded almost exclusively from private donations and fundraising efforts from volunteers.
Virtual run
One of those fundraisers is Jessie’s Run – which has been a yearly event since 2013. This year, Jessie’s Run has gone through a couple of changes.
The run, which takes place on June 21, is going to be virtual and the foundation is asking people to move in any way that they can for 29 minutes. They have also added a 10-kilometre run for “the more seasoned runners”.
Another change this year is that Jessie’s Run has been rebranded and JMMF has partnered up with the Ignore No More movement.
The Ignore No More movement was founded by Mike Cameron and Michelle de Bruin. Cameron’s girlfriend was murdered by her ex-boyfriend in 2015. He started the Ignore No More run to raise awareness and engage the community, particularly men, in men’s role in preventing gender-based violence.
The partnership with Ignore No More was “a natural fit,” said Hughson.
“Shelters alone will not entirely address the issue of domestic violence. We need strategies at every level, including prevention. This is one way to honour Jess’s memory and work on primary prevention and raise some funds for Jessie’s House.”
Anyone needing support can call the Jessie's House crisis line 24 hours a day, seven days a week, at 1-866-939-2850. Individuals or groups wanting to donate to or support the foundation can call 780-939-5289.
