AMHERST – Women and children fleeing domestic violence in Cumberland County now have a long-term solution to their plight.
“The maximum stay at Autumn House is six weeks and this is often not long enough for women to secure safe and affordable housing,” said Dawn Ferris, executive director of Autumn House in Amherst. “"The two new second-stage housing units will offer extended, safe, secure and affordable housing. This brings us closer to reaching our goal of providing safety for women and their children in our community."
The first family will move into one side of the new two-bedroom unit next week, and they can stay for up to two years.
Called 100 Women Who Care, the new duplex opened Friday afternoon on Park Street in Amherst.
“The Hundred Women Who Care turned this house into a home by donating the money that helped get the appliances and the landscaping, so the duplex is going to be called The Women Who Care Home in honour of their support,” said Ferris.
Ferris joined the Autumn House team as executive director in December and, during the opening, she pointed out that Autumn House has been providing shelter, support and services to victims of intimate partner violence in Cumberland County for over 27 years.
Bill Casey, MP for Cumberland Colchester, was at the opening of the new duplex.
“I go back to when Autumn House first started about 28 years ago. This organization has done so much for our community,” said Casey. “The biggest change for me when I got into politics was to see how many people need help and how there is often no place to turn, but Autumn House provides that place to turn for women who are subject to abuse and violence. We are so grateful.”
The federal and provincial governments committed $292,100 to build the 100 Women Who Care Home.
“The peace of mind that comes with having a secure and stable home is invaluable. This is why our government is pleased to be involved in the creation of the Women Who Care Home," said Mr. Casey. "This duplex represents hope of a new life to all women fleeing domestic violence in the Amherst community. We could not be more pleased to have contributed to this project and are inspired by the courage it takes to make these life-altering changes."
Kelly Regan, Minister responsible for Housing Nova Scotia and the Status of Women, said the two new second-stage housing units will be a great help for women and children in Cumberland County who are leaving domestic violence.
“Shelters or transition houses provide much more than a place to call home. They provide refuge and they offer counselling and advocacy,” said Regan. “They help women access community resources like financial assistance, police services, lawyers, children services, and so much more. They offer support and understanding for women and their children so they know they are not alone along this journey.”
The new duplex offers many strong security features as well, including:
The front and back doors are steel encased and have a three-pronged locking mechanisms, one high, one in the middle, and one low, making them almost impossible to kick in.
Both the front and back doors have video cameras hooked up, so the police will be able to, if there’s an incident, retrieve footage of the incident.
All the windows are self-locking, meaning they lock automatically when they are closed.
Also, an alarm system is set up so the house is safe when nobody is home.
Ferris thanked the federal and provincial governments for their support, she thanked the 100 Women Who Care, and, also, thanked the entire community who helped make the home a reality.
“I was hired the first week in December and that’s when they broke ground, so this project was really the work of other people,” said Ferris. “It’s amazing for me, so I can only imagine how amazing it is for the people who have been involved with this for the past couple years. It must be much bigger for them.”
