abused

When I was 16 I had enough of a mentally abusive step father and moved out. That was the last straw for my mom and sister and that’s when they too started for looking for a way to leave. She had no money and no where to go but she was determined get away from an extremely unhealthy relationship. After a few months of making a plan for herself, he found her stash of money that she was hiding to use to get out. It was devastating and delayed her plan and increased the tension which put them both at greater risk.

She finally persuaded my grandmother to move to the Okanagan so my mother was able to have a safe place for her and my sister to go to. If this had happened in Victoria she could have relied on The Women’s Transition House. This week is National Victims Awareness Week and Women’s Transition House is celebrating 40 years helping women and their children in our community to safety and peace ~Michael

We talked to Shelter Program Manager Shemine Gulamhusein about who they are and how they help.