The Sparrow’s Hope Women’s Shelter will close its doors and disburse about $16,000 in assets to Westlock- and Barrhead-area violence prevention organizations.
After much deliberation, the Sparrow’s Hope advisory committee decided at a Nov. 27 meeting in Barrhead there are other ways that they can support their community than continue with the shelter.
Committee member Pamela Griffiths explained the committee spent a full day on Oct. 15 closely examining the communities’ needs with respect to family violence, how to meet those needs, and where a shelter fits in.
The needs identified include education, a lawyer specializing in family violence and beds for those leaving an abusive relationship.
“We looked at a priority, and the complete consensus in the room was that the priority was around education,” she said. “We thought with more education we could maybe hit prevention model more so and decrease numbers that way.”
Sparrow’s Hope was started in 2011, spearheaded by Westlock Youth For Christ as a faith-based women’s shelter. While it was located within the County of Barrhead, in a house donated specifically for the purpose, it was meant to serve the Barrhead/Westlock area and beyond. The facility closed in August 2013, and the building was sold.
The advisory committee came up with two viable options for the future of the organization to present for a vote at the Nov. 27 meeting: creating a collaborative overarching violence-prevention committee or disbursing Sparrow’s Hope’s funds and assets to other violence-prevention organizations.
The overarching committee would help direct women in need to shelters, lawyers, and other services they may be looking for, and it would act as a bridge that could be used by businesses and organizations such as FCSS.
“It is seen almost like a larger referral basis, that someone would call in, or contact them,” Griffiths said, adding that contact would allow the families to learn of all the services available in the area in a time of need.
Heidi Magus, family outreach worker at Barrhead FCSS, acted as an advisor in the process of reopening a shelter in the area. She noted there would still be several items to look at for this option — for example, whether there would be a central hub, and whether another organization would take it over.
Committee member Ros Rudd, also from FCSS, said part of the concern when creating the strategic plan was that often times women only make one phone call.
“These gals may just make one phone call, and it takes them a lot to make that phone call, they have to go through a lot to get there,” she said. “This may be our only chance to help them, or to meet their needs.”
Magus said if the committee were to decide on the second option, gifting the resources, those resources would include the volunteers of Sparrow’s Hope.
“That is also gifting us as well, because there is so many committees out there that need those extra people to come and sit on those committees and be supportive for those in both of our communities,” she said.
A vote was held on which direction Sparrow’s Hope should go, and in the end, the disbursement of committee funds and assets was decided.
Currently the committee holds $15,929.82, which will be distributed amongst organizations involving the protection, and care of women and families leaving abusive relationships. The committee will be brainstorming which foundations to gift the assets to and will make a decision in the New Year.
