Members of the Chateauguay-Huntingdon Women’s Institutes (WI) welcomed representatives from the Résidence-Elle women’s shelter and Pacte de Rue, a community street work organization, to a frank discussion on the realities of homelessness in the region on March 30.
“People wanted to know about what was going on in our area,” says the Women’s Institute president, Linda Janes, who suggests there are some who are simply unaware that homelessness exists in the Chateauguay Valley. Both organizations addressed this myth, while keeping their presentations light and relatable despite the heavy subject matter.
Over 45 people attended the conference which took place at the Village Church in Ormstown. The talk was open to the public, and Janes estimates that around half the people in the audience were not members of the WI. “We wanted people to become more aware,” says Janes, who felt the conference was well received. She says the message that abuse and homelessness are present, though less visible than in an urban context, really resonated.
The local WI has been supporting Pacte de Rue for some time, and Janes says that while they will continue to help the organization, the WI is also interested in starting a partnership with Résidence-Elle. “We want to know if there is anything we can do to help,” says Janes, who presented the representatives of the women’s shelter with an initial donation with the hope of being able to do more. (SR)