Alice House

“I learned so much here. I learned to stop blaming myself for his actions.”

“I learned that it’s OK for me to just leave when a situation is making me feel unsafe.” Sasha is one of many women who has experienced domestic abuse and whose life has been turned around by Alice House. And the charity has been given a special COVID-19 grant by Ecclesiastical Canada to help them continue their invaluable work. The CAD $7,500 grant will enable them to keep an additional staff member for around two months, providing much-needed relief and support to their team, as they continue to support the women they are serving, and sustaining those whose wellbeing is threatened by domestic violence.

Alice House provides longer term safe housing, as well as counselling and support services to women and children who are fleeing and recovering from domestic violence. It provides opportunities for women and their children to create a life free from domestic violence, ensuring that abuse doesn’t shape their future. People often remain in abusive relationships because they can’t see that the situation they are in will ever change or because they have nowhere to escape to. Alice House provides them with far more than a safe roof over their heads – it gives them the time and support for their physical and emotional healing to take place. Their programmes are designed to help women break the cycle of violence in their lives and make the transition to independent living.

Since social isolation measures were put in place in Nova Scotia, the charity has seen a marked increase in domestic violence. They have moved four families, who were experiencing violence at home, into their safe housing and are providing enhanced security supports and measures for women, already living at Alice House, whose ex-partners are becoming more violent, or who have been released from prison early due to COVID-19. Staff have been working overtime every week to keep up, so having an extra pair of hands – made possible by the grant – makes a real difference.

For women like Sasha it’s made a real difference. “I learned I am a lot stronger than I thought possible.” And it was thanks to the compassion and support of the team at Alice House that she was able to discover – and tap into – those inner reserves of strength.”