As domestic violence rises, more women’s shelters are on the way

Amid mounting evidence that domestic violence has worsened during the two-year COVID-19 pandemic, victim-assistance programs offered by Surrey-based Domestic Abuse Services (Our Lady of Good Counsel Society) are more in demand than ever.

The need for transitional housing for women and their children fleeing abusive households has been especially acute, with demand outstripping the society’s ability to provide shelter in Eva’s House, a four-unit duplex operated by the society since 2008.

But that’s now about to change. Bob Tanaka, DAS/OLGC president, said in an interview that the society is replacing Eva’s House with a newly purchased, six-unit apartment building. “It’s not only a 50-per cent increase in capacity,” said Tanaka, a parishioner at St. Clare of Assisi in Coquitlam, said. “It’s also a significant upgrade in quality.” 

The new residence is set to open at the end of this month. Coincidentally, the society’s popular thrift store, Thrifters’ Paradise, moved to a new location in Langley in early January, doubling its floorspace. “We’ve really been blessed this year,” Tanaka said. 

In fact, the 63-year-old Coquitlam resident, who is a semi-retired accountant, said he believes the society has been guided over the past few years by “the hand of God.” He said so many decisions the society’s board made turned out to be just the right ones, at just the right time. “Even the timing of this story is amazing,” he said. “I was just talking last week about finding a way to spread the news about our new building, and then [a B.C. Catholic reporter] contacted me out of the blue. It’s wonderful.”   

The society was formed in 1995 under the auspices of the Catholic Women’s League. It offered a helpline to support victims of abuse and later expanded services to include resource workers and educators. A donation by a woman who the society identifies as “Eva” led to the opening of Eva’s House.

For women who are fleeing a violent situation, their first need is refuge in a secured, safe facility, said Tanaka. “Our second-stage home is for after they’ve been there and settled their situation.”

A home like Eva’s House is necessary “because their financial situation is not secure enough at that point. They’re just trying to get settled. We help them get their whole situation settled. If they have children, we get the kids settled into a school – generally getting all the services, figuring out what services they require.”

DAS charges a nominal rent in line with provincial income-assistance standards. “It’s way, way below market,” said operations manager Agnes Drewniak. “So our units are very affordable.” The women can live in the home for up to a year.

Drewniak, who is also a St. Clare’s parishioner, said Eva’s House provided shelter for 11 women and 17 children in 2020, and six women and 12 children in 2021.

“I am very excited about this new house,” she said. “Six units is just a perfect size for us. It’s manageable. We can offer more women safe, affordable housing. I will turn away fewer people, and I will be able to offer homes for those women and children who need it.”

Drewniak is inspired by the change she sees in the women she serves. “It’s a weight that has been lifted from their shoulders once they learn they have been accepted,” she said. “I see them grow, I see them flourish, I see them getting jobs. I can tell you countless stories where women have succeeded, where they did a tremendous job to make their lives and their children’s lives safe.”

She recalled a recent resident who arrived at DAS with her three-year-old daughter from an emergency shelter at a suburban hotel. “When she came to us, she was just – you could look at her and see her pain and her anxiety, the way she looked, and her body posture and everything,” Drewniak said.

“With time, you could see her getting more confident. She started attending her counselling sessions. Eventually, I could see her smile. She told me, ‘Right now, I’m just so grateful and so happy for this place. This is so peaceful.’”

For security reasons, the society does not reveal the location of either Eva’s House or the new apartment building.

Drewniak is grateful for the volunteers who support the work of DAS, many of whom come from Lower Mainland Catholic parishes. “My job is much, much easier because of them,” she said. “The amount of talent they have – whatever I need, I just ask, and I get it.  At the thrift store, too, it’s an army of people.” 

That thrift store generates up to $50,000 a year in profits – enough to provide a stable source of funding, especially when added to ongoing support from the Knights of Columbus, the Catholic Women’s League, Project Advance, and many other groups and individuals.

Thrift-store volunteers Toni and her husband Les, from St. Nicholas’ Parish, were at Thrifters’ Paradise last week – Toni staffing the cash register out front and Les sorting donations in the back. “We’ve just moved two doors from our old location here on 56th Avenue [in Langley],” said Toni (who asked that her last name not be used). “So we’re still easy to find. But what a difference now! We can display all our books, kitchenware, glasses, clothing – you name it.”

With the opening of the new residence just weeks away, DAS president Tanaka said he can only look back with wonder and appreciation at the hard work, the charity, and the serendipity that allowed the expansion to take place.

He cites a “guardian angel campaign” that raised about $250,000, and then two further campaigns that raised about $100,000 over the past few years. “And then, this past year, we received three additional bequests, totalling about $115,000,” he said. With that, and the proceeds from the sale of Eva’s House, the society finally had enough to expand.

Tanaka said the society came very close last year to purchasing another duplex, but the deal fell through and “we were all frustrated that it didn’t work out. But then, overnight, someone came to me, a real estate agent that I know, and said, ‘Did you know there’s an apartment building for sale,’ and we had just shut the door on the other place, and within a week, this other place came up. It happened so quickly ... everything fell into place.”

In retrospect, he said he is happy the first deal did not work out because the duplex needed considerable upgrading. In contrast, the small apartment complex was move-in ready. “So, yeah, the hand of God is definitely there,” he said.

The whole experience has been very rewarding for Tanaka. “I want to help people,” he said. “I’ve been very fortunate in my life, and I’ve had no health issues, no security issues, none of these issues.

“And I see the damage that is being done to individuals towards their spouse and towards their family and I just, my heart goes out to every one of those victims. And I know it is a long process out of it – if you ever can get out of it. And so, any little thing I can do to help, I do – to help them get their life back together.”

The experience has certainly enriched his faith. “I’m not a cradle Catholic. I came to faith after years of being married to a Catholic,” he said. 

“I always felt that I was kind of on the outside looking in, and certainly since I became a Catholic, I’ve jumped in with both feet. And the stories, the situations I’ve been involved in recently, I certainly feel – it’s really outside my comfort zone, taking leadership of an organization like this – but I certainly feel Jesus right beside me, telling me, ‘Carry on, you’re doing good work. And people need your help.’

“And it’s also good for you, right? I’ve certainly felt the reward from it.”