Wabasca Bigstone opening Women's shelter

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Battered women seeking shelter often have to go far from home to find it. For women in the Wabasca area, that means being sent as far away as Edmonton, Grande Prairie or Peace River.

But this summer, Wabasca's Bigstone Band, about 150 km north of Slave Lake,

is due to open an emergency shelter for women. The second of its kind in the province, it will offer an on-reserve haven for women who have nowhere else to turn.

"We face a lot of crisis situations on the reserve," said Bigstone Social Services Manager Gordon Auger.

"So we grabbed the bull by the horns."

Sending women away from a few days or a few weeks has not done much to solve the individual's or the community's problems," Auger said. The band recognized the need for a local shelter and started planning for it about a year ago.

Auger hopes this latest step will lead to an integrated approach to family violence on the reserve. Dealing only with the victims and not the perpetrators won't work, he said.

Planning is in the works with various agencies to address both sides of family violence.

"We don't want to provide a band-aid solution, like now when we ship our people out and they come (back) into the same environment," Auger said.

"Our goal is to have families reunited."

Auger isn't worried that news of the shelter might make the reserve look like a place with a big violence problem. What's important, he said, is that the band is willing

to recognize the problem exists and is doing something about it.

"It's a resource centre for the people," he said.

Although the facility will not be exclusively for band members, Auger says they will get first priority. Otherwise, referrals from off the reserve will be accepted.

The building will have four family units and will be run by a staff of seven. Staff will also be responsible for developing social activities for their clients. The band will soon launch a hunt for a director with appropriate experience, Auger said.

The shelter, which stands near the band office, is nearly completed with only some interior work and landscaping still to be done, Auger said. He expects it to be open by June or July at the latest. By then it should also have an official name. Local residents will probably be canvassed for suggestions.

The $250,000 funding for shelter construction came from Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation. Indian Affairs will spend a similar amount each year for maintenance and operating costs, Auger said.