Residence Elle marks 30 years of serving women and children

Residence-Elle is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year. Founded in 1991 by kind-hearted women from the English-speaking community of the Haut-Saint-Laurent, Residence-Elle’s mission is to provide shelter for women and their children which allows them to seek help while remaining in their region, close to home. The services at Residence-Elle are provided in English and French. During the early years, volunteers took turns helping each other to offer services at the shelter. They maintained the organization without any government funding or outside resources. “Fortunately, in the early 2000s, Residence-Elle obtained a recurring grant. Without this funding it would probably have been extremely difficult, if not impossible, to develop the services we have been able to provide,” said Marie-Josée Leduc, the executive director of Résidence-Elle. Since 2003, women and children have been able to benefit from the services of a team of warm, engaging, and relatable professionals trained in domestic violence intervention. Little by little, the services have multiplied so that today, Résidence-Elle is much more than a shelter. It offers outpatient services, workshops, and awareness-raising activities that are accessible to the entire community. Residence-Elle receives close to 100 women and children seeking refuge each year. Once at the shelter, women are able to enjoy a safe and healthy environment where they can regain control over their lives while escaping abusive situations. The children who accompany their mothers develop new tools and can build new relationships with their mothers and siblings. About 50 women receive regular follow-up services during an average year. Outpatient workers are regularly meeting more and more women who are questioning their relationships, while awareness-raising events and self-esteem and affirmation workshops, which are open to the general community, are more popular than ever. “I think there has always been a need for such services, but we were much less aware of this. It was frowned upon to ask for help,” Leduc said. “Thanks to our community partners, the police, and the health and social services network, we are receiving more referrals and better collaboration to avoid the worst.” 12 days of action to fight violence against women. On December 6, the organizing committee behind the 12 Days of Action Against Violence Against Women in the Haut-Saint-Laurent campaign organized a gathering to observe a minute of silence in honour of the 14 victims killed at the École Polytechnique, as well as the 18 women and two children killed as a result of domestic violence in 2021. Approximately 25 citizens from the region took part in this event, which was also livestreamed from the organization’s Facebook page. In a solemn speech, Leduc stated that the number of acts of extreme violence against women was particularly high this year, saying 18 feminicides in one year is way too many. "Are you safe in your relationship?" posters, placemats, as well as white ribbons – a symbol of support for non-violence towards women – were distributed in high schools, restaurants, and various organizations throughout the territory. White ribbons were also distributed at the Huntingdon County Farmers’ Market’s Christmas Market in Ormstown on December 5, where visitors met with representatives who were able to answer questions about domestic violence. An awareness campaign to dispel certain persistent myths about violence against women also took place from November 25 to December 6 on the Facebook pages of Résidence-Elle, CALACS-LaVigie, L'ADDS de Huntingdon, École secondaire Arthur-Pigeon, and the Sureté du Québec. (SR)

Residence Elle marks 30 years of serving women and children

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