SWC FOC Annual Report 2014-2015

FAC E S O F COURAGE

CHANGING THE DEFINITION OF VICTIM SURREY WOMEN’S CENTRE ANNUAL REPORT | 2014-2015

WHO WE ARE

WE ARE THE ONLY WOMEN’S CENTRE IN SURREY, BC… WHAT WE DO We protect women and girls.

We are often the first and sometimes the only place they call for help. 24 hours per day, 7 days per week, 365 days per year.

WHY WE EXIST 1 in 2 women will be assaulted in her lifetime.

1 in 2 women will likely be told it is her fault.

WE EMPOWER WOMEN AND GIRLS. With your help, we are changing the definition of victim.

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COURAGE CHANGES THE DEFINITION OF VICTIM

Patricia’s story is a story of courage.

While ‘courage’ is often used to describe heroic acts of bravery, its root is derived from cor – the Latin word for heart, meaning to speak one’s mind by telling the truth of one’s heart.

I have known Patricia for almost 20 years.

She would probably never describe herself as a hero. But Patricia showed me the true meaning of courage by sharing her truth with all of you.

I think the word ‘courage’ describes Patricia perfectly.

We know it takes courage to ask for help.

It is because of you that women like Patricia have a safe place to turn.

Her words remind us that asking for help is an act of courage that can save a life.

Courage changes the definition of victim.

Your support makes that possible.

ABOUT US

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COURAGE CHANGES THE DEFINITION OF VICTIM

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FACE OF COURAGE: MEET PATRICIA

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MILESTONES: WORKING WITH WOMEN AT-RISK

WORKING WITH CHILDREN AT-RISK

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FINANCIALS

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THE TEAM

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FACE OF COURAGE: MEET PATRICIA

Today Patricia’s father sits in prison – kept safely away from other girls and women thanks to Patricia’s courage.

“I had never even been kissed by a boy when I gave birth to my father’s child.” She was determined to keep her child safe from her father while she looked for help. “I wanted to give her the chance I never had.”

She first told her family doctor and later the congregation at her church. The congregation blamed Patricia because they did not understand the dynamics of sexual abuse.

Her faith did not waiver. “My spirituality gave me strength because I knew the abuse was wrong. The bible is a good guideline for moral living. It’s what helped me through.”

She continued to look to scripture as a moral compass and relied on her inner strength until she could find support outside her congregation.

Patricia’s search for help lead her to Surrey Women’s Centre. Her counselor, Cheryl, helped her cope with the past and take steps towards the future. “She gave me strength and courage to see the changes I needed to make.”

For years Patricia protected her daughter from her father.

Now that they were safely out of his reach, Patricia wanted to take steps to keep other girls from harm.

In 2010, Patricia filed a police report: “I don’t want anybody else to be victimized by him. If it saves one little girl’s innocence, it is all worthwhile.”

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Her family blamed her for speaking out. But her resolve never wavered. “If it saves one little girl’s innocence, it is all worthwhile.”

“ I WAS A SINGLE MOM WITH MY FATHER’S CHILD IN THE SEVENTIES. “

Days away from her 60th birthday, the investigating officer called to let Patricia know that her father had been arrested.

After a lengthy trial, Patricia’s father was found guilty of rape, incest and indecent assault. However, when asked whether his conviction brought closure, she is clear: “I didn’t do it for myself. I did it so he couldn’t hurt other girls or women.”

Patricia has learned to love herself more and more every day. “I found out that recovery is a process, there was so much secrecy and shame that made me feel responsible.

Talking about the abuse takes the responsibility off my shoulders and puts it onto him, where it belongs.”

SURREY WOMENS CENTRE ANNUAL REPORT | 2014-2015

FACES OF COURAGE: CHANGING THE DEFINITION OF VICTIM

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MILESTONE: WORKING WITH WOMEN AT-RISK

MILESTONE: SUPPORTING WOMEN AT-RISK

Because of you, we were able to partner with the police with one goal in mind: to protect and empower women and their children escaping violence.

Here’s a look into what we accomplished together this year, courtesy of the Victim Services Division at the Ministry of Justice1.

The Surrey Domestic Violence Unit (DVU) is a partnership between the Surrey RCMP, Surrey Women’s Centre, the City of Surrey, the Ministry of Children and Family Development, and the Ministry of Justice. The Surrey DVU involves the co-location of police investigators, victim services, and a child protection worker within the Surrey RCMP detachment to assist highest risk victims of domestic violence.

“The Surrey DVU is responsible for providing an integrated police/support worker response to reduce incidents of domestic violence and repeat victimization to victims and family members who

“ A S POLICE, WE NEED TO USE A TRAUMA-INFORMED APPROACH…” Dave Attfield Superintendent of Operations, Surrey RCMP

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SURREY WOMENS CENTRE ANNUAL REPORT | 2014-2015

“ I HOPE THE DVU HELPS WOMEN SEE THAT THEY CAN DO IT ALONE. BUT WE ARE ALWAYS THERE TO HELP WHEN THEY NEED US.” Holly Turton

Sergeant in charge of Vulnerable Persons Section, Surrey RCMP

are at a high risk of physical harm,” says Sergeant Holly Turton of the Surrey RCMP. “This is achieved through the engagement and mobilization of various community partner agencies and the management of offenders deemed by the Surrey DVU and community partners as Highest Risk Offenders.”

“Collaboration is key because everybody is in a much better position to identify those women and children who are at the highest risk because we all have different pieces of information,” says Sonya Boyce, Executive Director of Surrey Women’s Centre. “The beauty of the DVU is that because we are all working together, that communication and that flow of critical information with respect to women’s safety happens more quickly than it would otherwise.”

In March 2014, Surrey RCMP and the Surrey Women’s Centre Society received a civil forfeiture grant to help establish the newly integrated DVU, located within the Surrey RCMP detachment. Part of this funding allowed the Surrey Women’s Centre to redefine its service delivery model in order to hire and train a community-based victim service worker to be co-located with the Surrey DVU. “With the recent addition of a community-based victim services worker, the Surrey DVU can now more effectively meet the needs of victims and family members and offer a wider range of support services,” says Turton. This enhancement of services is crucial for connecting women to a network of supports.

FACES OF COURAGE: CHANGING THE DEFINITION OF VICTIM

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“ I WILL ACTUALLY DEAL WITH OFFENDERS FROM TIME TO TIME. I’LL TALK WITH THEM ON THE PHONE OR MEET THEM AT THE DETACHMENT WITH A POLICE OFFICER PRESENT TO FIGURE OUT WHAT THEIR BARRIERS ARE AND CONNECT THEM TO COMMUNITY RESOURCES.” Amber Currie

Police-based Support Worker, Surrey RCMP

“One of the key roles that the victim support worker plays in the DVU is to provide a really critical link between a woman and her children and every other system that she’s going to come into contact with,” says Boyce. “She has to make some pretty quick and critical decisions in a really short period of time. Our role is to help her navigate those systems and explore her options and support what she decides to do.”

Boyce notes that the victim support worker uses a wrap-around approach to help a woman build a network of supports. The worker also identifies risk factors at play and works with the woman to

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develop a safety plan that mitigates those risks, prioritizing those that put her and her children at greatest risk.

“Trust and confidentiality are cornerstones of our work,” says Boyce. “A lot of times, women will disclose things to us that they won’t disclose to anybody else regarding the history and the nature of the abuse itself. When we all can sit down and share that information with the woman’s consent and make her a part of that process, then she’s in a far better position to stay safe and we’re in a far better position to support her than ever before.

SURREY WOMENS CENTRE ANNUAL REPORT | 2014-2015

“ WOMEN ARE THE EXPERTS IN THEIR OWN LIVES AND MY ROLE IS TO OFFER NON-JUDGMENTAL SUPPORT SO THAT THEY CAN DETERMINE THEIR NEXT STEP.” Neha Huggins

Community-based Support Worker, Surrey Women’s Centre

“We really do have a critical window of opportunity after the assault. There’s a period of time in which she’s deciding whether she’s going to stay or whether she’s going to leave.

What happens during that time can influence her decision one way or another. Our role, of course, is to support whatever she wants, but at the end of the day, we want women and children to be safe. Whether she decides to stay or leave, there’s that critical window in which we have the opportunity to make a huge impact on what happens with the rest of her life. The more we can work together, the safer women and children will be.”

“ IF WE CAN HELP A WOMAN TO “IF WE CAN HELP A WOMAN TO STAY SAFE - THAT’S OUR DUTY.”

STAY SAFE - THAT’S OUR DUTY.” YJ Leboulch

Former Corporal in charge of Domestic Violence Unit, Surrey RCMP

1 Reprinted with permission from April 2015 Information Bulletin, Community Safety and Crime Prevention Branch, Ministry of Justice http://www.pssg.gov.bc.ca/victimservices/shareddocs/ VSCPInfoBulletinApril2015.pdf

FACES OF COURAGE: CHANGING THE DEFINITION OF VICTIM

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MILESTONE: WORKING WITH CHILDREN AT-RISK

Separation is the most dangerous time for women and children fleeing violence.

Ronnie, a support worker at Surrey Women’s Centre, is in a unique position. She works with Jay and the rest of his team of child protection social workers at the Ministry of Child & Family Development in Surrey. Together, they respond to the safety needs of mothers and their children.

According to Jay, Team Leader at Surrey’s Newton office, “Ronnie isn’t someone from Surrey Women’s Centre who shows up once in awhile.

Ronnie is a part of our team”. He says, “once we started to partner with Surrey Women’s Centre, we were in a partnership with an agency whose primary purpose is to support women and help keep them safe. That’s changed our consciousness of how we do things.”

“By sharing my experience, I helped them see that for many women, the choice between staying or leaving is a choice between being beaten or starving,” says Ronnie.

Jay adds, “we’re coming to terms with what the consequences are to children, how to evaluate the severity of it, and how to respond to it.”

Child protection social workers, Raynu and Jeevan talk about how their work has changed.

Raynu dispels the myth that “women should just leave” by discussing the challenges of immigrant women: “It’s easy to say if you have extended family, and you’ve got the supports of parents, grandparents, siblings, and financial support from other places – but if it’s just you and your partner, and you’re new to the country – it’s a scary place”.

“ IF WE CAN KEEP ONE WOMAN SAFE, THEN IT’S ALL WORTH IT.” Ronnie Takhar

Community-based Support Worker, Surrey Women’s Centre

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SURREY WOMENS CENTRE ANNUAL REPORT | 2014-2015

For Jeevan, their partnership with Surrey Women’s Centre connects women with the support that they need. “When they have someone that’s able to help them build up their confidence to take the necessary steps, then they will do that. Sometimes we get involved more than once with a particular family, but what I have noticed is when Ronnie is involved many of these women are not as fearful to pick up the phone to call for help.”

Jeevan & Raynu Child Protection Social Workers

Jay Polowin

MCFD (Newton) Child Protection Social Worker (Team Lead)

Jeevan describes how the team draws on the strengths of non-offending family members to safety plan. “You are the experts on your family—what do you think needs to happen and how do you see it happening?”

By including the family in the decision-making process, Jeevan adds, “We’re not assuming. We’re taking the time to listen to people’s stories to get a full understanding.”

Looking back on the partnership, Jay admits “It’s working far beyond what I thought it would….I think we are doing a better job today than we were a year ago.” Raynu adds, “I feel like the women and even the children are much more educated on what to do. So even if we step out of the picture, they know what steps to take. They know who to call. They know what their rights are. So if something did happen, we feel a little bit more confident that they know how to keep themselves safe or take the next step.”

Ronnie shares, “The reality is that everyone involved just wants to keep women and their children safe in whatever way possible. Sometimes that means supporting a woman if she chooses to leave, but sometimes it simply means helping to make her safer if she chooses to stay. We’re all experts in our own ways – especially the women who we work with. No one understands a woman’s experience of violence better than she does.”

“ WE’RE COMING TO TERMS WITH WHAT THE CONSEQUENCES ARE TO CHILDREN, HOW TO EVALUATE THE SEVERITY OF IT, AND HOW TO RESPOND TO IT.” Jay “ WE’RE TAKING THE TIME TO LISTEN TO PEOPLE’S STORIES TO GET A FULL UNDERSTANDING.” Jeevan “ IT’S EASY TO SAY WOMEN SHOULD JUST LEAVE … BUT IF IT’S JUST YOU AND YOUR PARTNER, AND YOU’RE NEW TO THE COUNTRY – IT’S A SCARY PLACE”. Raynu

FACES OF COURAGE: CHANGING THE DEFINITION OF VICTIM

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FINANCIALS: STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL POSITION

AS OF MARCH 31, 2015 ASSETS Cash

2015

2014

281,863

217,485

Gaming

84,635

70,005

Term Deposits

211,475

211,282

3,587

54, 267

4,236

4,435

Accounts Receivable GST Recoverable Inventory

2,771

1,189

Prepaid expenses

38,959

18,800

627,701 21,235 648,701

600,442 22,979 600,442

10,062

32,794

CAPITAL ASSETS LIABILITIES and NET ASSETS CURRENT Accounts Payable Wages and Benefits Payable

54,015

32,067

Deferred Revenue

257,186

207,716

321,263

273,137

NET ASSETS

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Invested in Capital Assets

21,235

22,979

Internally Restricted

180,000

180,000

Unrestricted

126,203

124,326

327,438 648,701

327,305 600,442

SURREY WOMENS CENTRE ANNUAL REPORT | 2014-2015

FINANCIALS: STATEMENT OF OPERATIONS

AS OF MARCH 31, 2015 REVENUE Government Grants Donations Fee-for-Service Fundraising Interest and other Income Other Grants – Restricted United Way

EXPENSES Accounting and Legal Advertising and Promotion Amortization Bank Charges and Interest Clinical Supervision Contract Fees Equipment /Maintenance Event Fees and Registration Fundraising Hospitality Insurance Membership Office Postage and Printing Professional Development Rent & Maintenance Transportation & Mileage Volunteers Wages & Benefits

OPERATING INCOME Gain(loss) on disposition of capital assets EXCESS (DEFICIENCY) of Revenue over Expenses Net Assets, beginning of year Net Assets, end of year

2015

2014

701,153 151,683 49,724 146,658 4,241 144,538 45,234

704,767 55,196 41,280 169,915 1,710 202,174 46,751

1,243,231

1,221,793

16,220 9,274 7,329 2,319 6,580 105,250 24,412 1,470 87,232 5,735 6,447 12,625 11,175 3,178 2,245 90,603 28,019 387 815,378

17,116 6,243 19,463 4,463 8,317 76,038 15,096 913 76,355 1,806 5,522 2,940 5,579 2,265 1,912 83,015 28,354 460 797,586

1,238,097

1,221,438

(5,001) 133

68 287

327,305 327,438

327,018 327,305

5,134

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FACES OF COURAGE: CHANGING THE DEFINITION OF VICTIM

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“ BECAUSE OF YOU… WE CAN ADVOCATE FOR SOCIAL CHANGE BY PROMOTING SAFETY, JUSTICE AND

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EQUALITY FOR WOMEN AND GIRLS. THANK YOU FOR BEING PART OF OUR TEAM.”

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Produced by Tugboat Group tugboatgroup.ca All photos ©Liz Dungate

THANK YOU FOR HELPING US CHANGE THE DEFINITION OF VICTIM

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