When women and children escaping relationship violence come to stay at the Cridge Transition House for Women, theyB次元官网网址檙e moving into a home.

No matter what the situation theyB次元官网网址檝e left, the focus of their month-long stay at the emergency shelter is having their basic needs met in a safe, relaxed environment.

B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 a place thatB次元官网网址檚 full of life and energy and joy and hope, and thatB次元官网网址檚 the feeling that you have when you walk through the door,B次元官网网址� said Candace Stretch, assistant manager of womenB次元官网网址檚 and family services for the Cridge Centre for the Family.

Stretch oversees operations at the transition house B次元官网网址� which despite two decades of provincially and privately-funded service in Saanich, has been able to maintain the privacy of its location. While an average of nine women and their children may be staying in the house at any given time, a B次元官网网址渟isterhoodB次元官网网址� bond between past and present residents has kept the level of confidentiality high, Stretch says.

Transitioning the women into a safe housing situation is the primary objective at the shelter.

B次元官网网址淲e often have someone who has come to us B次元官网网址� after being hospitalized for an extended period of time,B次元官网网址� Stretch said. B次元官网网址淪o we see, on a very regular basis, women who have been subjected to brutal physical violence.B次元官网网址�

But the CridgeB次元官网网址檚 definition of violence doesnB次元官网网址檛 always mean physical confrontations. Sexual and emotional abuse are common among clients.

B次元官网网址淎lmost every time we hear someoneB次元官网网址檚 story, theyB次元官网网址檝e been isolated from their families and their communities,B次元官网网址� Stretch said. B次元官网网址淭hey become very dependent on the abuser for all of their needs. Many times they have no access to any finances.B次元官网网址�

For 75 per cent of all clients, their choice is between being abused, or homeless, said fellow Cridge staffer Shannon Whissell.

B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 a progressive erosion of their ability to control their own money or determine their own relationships and as that gets eroded and emotional violence comes into play... the physical violence is really the endpoint,B次元官网网址� Whissell said.

Stretch has come to know well the cycle of abuse her clients can fall into B次元官网网址� one that often includes periods of remorse from an abuser following a violent event, which is inevitably followed by repeated incidents of abuse.

B次元官网网址淥ne thing that really sticks out for me in this job is how resilient women are, particularly women with children,B次元官网网址� Stretch said.

B次元官网网址淲e see women who have been able to do remarkable things around keeping their children. WeB次元官网网址檒l see kids come into the house and they just donB次元官网网址檛 fit that bill of a child thatB次元官网网址檚 been exposed to violence. They look more like a child who is secure and knows that mom is there to protect them.B次元官网网址�

Every child who passes through the Cridge Transition House for Women receives a welcome package with a gift. Toys for the Cridge Transition House can be dropped off at the Hotel Grand Pacific, 463 Belleville St. until April 9.

More information on the Cridge Transition House can be found at www.cridge.org. Emergency services can be accessed through an outreach worker 24 hours a day at 250-479-3963.

The Victoria WomenB次元官网网址檚 Transition House Society is not affiliated with the Cridge Centre for the Family, but offers a similar service. Reach the Victoria WomenB次元官网网址檚 Transition House, 24 hours a day at 250-385-6611. More information is available at www.transitionhouse.net