BATTLEFORDS - The holidays are a joyous occasion to many families, but families in crisis will be facing different circumstances this Christmas season.
Debbie Kovalsky, executive director of Battlefords Interval House, wants to remind women who are dealing with abuse at home that they can always contact the Battlefords Interval House if they need to escape a violent situation during the holidays, just like other times in the year.
"Anybody who has experienced interpersonal violence, intimate partner violence, can give us a call. [Victims of] intimate partner violence are who we're serving," she said.
The non-profit organization offers single women and women with children housing at its location in North Battleford. The facility has the capacity to accommodate 19 residents. It has both family rooms and single rooms.
"We do have two single rooms and four family rooms," Kovalsky said. "If we have larger families, they take up more than one room."
Battlefords Interval House offers a 24-hour emergency safe shelter and support for women and those with accompanying children leaving circumstances of violence and abuse.
Kovalsky noted while calls are usually high during the Christmas season, in the weeks leading up to the holidays, numbers have actually tapered off a bit this year.
"Our calls have been reduced this year compared to other years," Kovalsky said. "But I don't believe that's because the domestic violence or interpersonal violence is actually improving. I think there's other factors that maybe have causing the numbers to be a little bit lower right now, because I do believe that once the holidays start, we'll find our numbers climb back up. You know, a lot of festivities occur, and that's when a lot of things can happen."
She related that sometimes over the holidays, families get together, and a lot of people mix in some substance use, and that can cause some of the issues to intensify. Financial tensions are another reason violence can increase closer to the holidays.
"[We] usually get busy so that all the beds are full around Christmas," Kovalsky said.
Crime statistics shared by Saskatchewan RCMP earlier this year indicate that calls for police service to intimate partner and family violence incidents have increased by 13 per cent over the past five years across the jurisdiction, with regional increases of 19 per cent in the Central District, 14 per cent in the North District, and seven per cent in South District over the same period.
Battlefords Interval House provided safe housing to 63 women and 66 children in 2023. It also supported 1,542 women seeking help through crisis calls to the shelter.
While staying in the shelter, women in crisis receive safe accommodations, food and clothing, and emotional support, advocacy support and education.
Donations needed
Women and families residing at Battlefords Interval House will be able to enjoy a quiet Christmas this year, with a hot meal to celebrate the holidays.
"We always host a Christmas dinner at Christmas, for sure," Kovalsky said. "There's a very generous couple in our community who come as Miss Santa and Mrs. Claus every Christmas Eve and bring gifts for the families that are in here, and spend some time with the children. That's always a real pleasure to have them. They're so generous to do that out of their goodness of their heart. So we appreciate that... We have activities for the kids to do all the time, and also with grants from the Town of Battleford and from the City of North Battleford, the Sask Lotteries Grants gave us swim passes, so clients can go swimming as well at any time that they would like to go."
Interval House encourages people to donate needed supplies to help women and children staying at the shelter.
"[Donations] have decreased this year because of the Canada Post strike," Kovalsky said. "There's many people who give to us every December. So we know who these people are, because it's every December. Of course, we're missing those donations this year just because of the strike. It's unsure whether we'll see them after the strike or not, but you know, we're hopeful that they won't forget us even after the strike."
People in the community can donate to the women's shelter to show their support.
Christmas stocking stuffers, like shampoo, body wash and lip balm for example, are good gift ideas.
They can also give pyjamas for women, children and youth sizes, sweat pants, running shoes, and winter boots and jackets, as well as sheets, blankets and towels, and pillows. Gift cards are also appreciated.
People can also make a monetary donation.
"If anybody is struggling at all in a situation, please call," noted Kovalsky. "That's why we're here. We can certainly help them figure out what they would like to do, either moving forward or if they just need the break from the situation. Either way, we're here for them and anybody else who maybe is wondering about somebody's safety or their neighbour, or a friend. If you're unsure, we have great resource on our website. Things that you can be watching for and how you can help or call as well."
