To better support families in Cochrane and surrounding communities, the Cochrane Legion Branch No. 15 Men of Vision presented a $955 cheque to the Big Hill Haven on Nov. 1.
All funds for the donation were raised through a ladies fashion show that took place at the Legion last month.
Co-founder and program manager for Big Hill Haven, Patti Fisher, said it was just amazing to receive such a generous donation.
“It means so much to us [and] it makes such a difference with the work we do, but it warms my heart so much because it’s the community,” she said. “The community is the heart of what we do.”
Fisher explained that the primary function of Big Hill Haven is safety planning and risk assessment to keep families safe.
“We have three aspects of our program; one is the emergency shelter, another is the outreach services where we meet with women who are experiencing violence on a regular basis or getting ready to leave, we can help them do that safely,” she explained. “And the third part of our program is the after-care, and that’s building a circle of support for women who are really isolated when they come to us, and learning that they’re not alone.”
This year alone, Big Hill Haven has supported 116 adults, 132 children, and 17 pets. Through their residential program, seventy-two people were provided 2046 nights of shelter with 3069 hours of supportive counselling.
Additionally, the group provided 83 people in their outreach program with 3237 hours of counselling, 28 emergency food hampers, 67 hours of child minding, $4,245 in emergency gift cards, and more than 2,240 attendees for family violence prevention and education opportunities.
For Big Hill Haven the average cost per diem is $36.03 per bed a night, with a staffing model that provides support during the day and on-call services during the evening and weekends. In comparison, traditional support models can cost per diem anywhere from $145 and up, per bed a night.
“We are extremely grateful and surprised,” Fisher said with a hearty laugh. “This is a wonderful way to start Family Violence Prevention Month.”
