Beendigen to enhance support and services for abused women and their families: Organization announces new location in Thunder Bay
July 12th, 2018: Today, Beendigen Anishinabe Women’s Crisis Home & Family Healing Agency celebrated the opening of its fourth location in Thunder Bay and district. The organization hosted a Community Open House welcoming partners and local leadership to the new space located in Victoriaville Centre.
The agency has experienced tremendous growth over the last two years, now providing additional services and supports to assist families and women experiencing abuse. The new facility will be home to the Healing our Own Counselling Unit and its Alcohol and Drug Addiction Program.
“Domestic violence is the most common form of violence against women and has serious impacts on women and their children’s health and well-being. There must be places where Indigenous women feel safe, are treated with respect and where they can receive compassionate and effective support,” says Beendigen Executive Director, Debra Vermette.“Beendigen’s new location enhances support and programming, strengthens community-based solutions and improves access for victims and their children. Through cultural values and customs, the site facilitates the healing process and is an integrated approach to improve resources for mental, spiritual and emotional well-being. The centrally located site ensures more support and programming is available and highly accessible to address mental health and addictions issues in the community.”
Beendigen anticipates that the organization will see an increase in clients with the addition of the new Victoriaville location. The site will provide individual and group counselling, walk-in counselling, Sacred Circles, grief healing circles, crafting groups, and drop-in counselling, and welcomes all women and their families. Eight staff members will work on site.
“Beendigen believes every woman and child deserves to live in a safe home free from violence. When women don’t have the means to effectively deal with mental health and addictions issues, the cycle of violence is most likely to repeat in their lives. The Victoriaville site has a lot of resources and supports all in one space, so clients don’t need to go to separate service providers; This will help women move from ‘survival mode’ to a safer, longer-term plan for an abuse-free future,” says Beendigen Program Manager, Katie Bortolin.