Thank you:The Impact of Your Supporton Women and Children2016

1,267support and crisis calls.

Last year

199 Families lived in the

shelter.We are only

funded for 150.

2 3

It takes extraordinary courage for a woman to leave an abusive relationship.

With only her children and the clothes on her back, a woman faces an uncertain future arriving in a shelter. Often, the fi rst step has been a call to our crisis line asking a few questions. It may happen with police involvement, or it may take two years of working with an outreach worker; the goal is always the same: helping women and children transition to a life free from abuse.

Last year almost 2,000 women relied on The Denise House shelter and programs. Almost every night the shelter was at capacity in our 11 bedroom home with a total of 27 beds and 5 cribs. All of our programs have grown in the last 30 years since we opened our doors in 1984 as a 10 bed shelter, our 29 employees and 56 volunteers, volunteer Board of Directors work diligently 24/7, 365 days a year to create a safe haven for women and children relying on us. More than 30,000 women and children have relied on us since 1984.

We are providing you, our valuable partners – donors, gift in kind suppliers and community leaders and friends- with a report to share with you the impact of your support in the last year.

For more information about The Denise House, the impact of your support, or our current needs, please contact Sandra McCormack, Executive Director, at 905.728.7311 or smccormack@thedenisehouse.com.

Thank You

From delivering babies to introducing nature as a stress reliever, our volunteers are helping women on their journey to a life free from abuse...

The Denise House is grateful to our more than 50 volunteers who dedicate their time, skills and effort to help the women and children living in the shelter and at the Donation Centre on Bond Street. We would like to introduce you to two extraordinary women using their expertise, time and passion for women and children transitioning to a life free from abuse.

Nancy started volunteering at The Denise House in 2011. Her commitment to women and children spans many decades, fi rst as a Neonatal Intensive Care Nurse at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, caring for newborns in the most delicate and life threatening fi rst few weeks of their lives. Sadly, she became aware of the abuse existing in the lives of many women and children in her career serving the needs of maternity and child care.

She also worked in public health in rural Ontario and became the Maternal Child Provincial Policy

Coordinator for the Ministry of Health and Long Term Care. She became involved with The Denise House during its original inception in the early 1980s when the Durham District Health Council started planning a house with ten beds to shelter women and children.

Abuse against women and children hit tragically close to her when her sister’s life was cut far too short at the age of 27 and while teaching at Durham College when a student was killed by her partner.

With her strong commitment to women and children Nancy serves many roles at the shelter. One evening a week Nancy offers hand-massages to everyone living in the shelter – from the youngest resident (often a toddler) through those in their 70s or older. Therapeutic hand massage has been proven to signifi cantly help people relax while in crisis; it is not invasive so it is gentle, relaxing and can help people slow their breathing. Nancy has many moving stories about the women and children she has met, but she fondly remembers a child of two who became so

Spotlight on our Volunteers

“Each year we answer more crisis calls, fi nd ourselves full to capacity almost every night, and are dealing with more and more complex issues with fewer resources.

Women and children need us; so we need our community of friends and donors more than ever if we are to continue to meet the growing need for shelter, programs and services that support women on their journey for safety and happiness.”

~ Sandra McCormack, Executive Director

4 5

entranced with her weekly hand massages she started to do them on her mom and the other children. And, once while massaging a nursing mom with her newborn, the baby focused on Nancy and held out its’ own little hand to be touched! Her favourite memory is of the six year old who asked to have the “hand-massage lady” at her birthday party.

Combined with her lengthy nursing career, she has an accreditation in meditation and has taught Mindfulness Based Chronic Pain Management; she is a Certifi ed Naturality Meditation Facilitator and Certifi ed Naturality Kundalini and Chakra Meditation Facilitator. She leads our Meditation Group; meditation has been proven to enable one to focus on the present moment rather than dwell on the unchangeable past or undetermined future.

Nancy’s other volunteer service is booking entertainment for the shelter’s Multicultural Dinners – the monthly theme dinner featuring food planned, prepared and served by volunteers, with crafts from the chosen country.

Perhaps one of the most life-altering roles Nancy plays is that of birthing coach and supportive partner for women who turn to the shelter prior to their delivery date. She will organize a hospital tour for the mom-to-be, and if requested, fi nd a Doula to assist with the birth.

The Denise House is grateful to Nancy for her extraordinary commitment to help women and children on their journey to a life free from abuse.

Spotlight on our Volunteers Continued

If you would like to offer your skills or service to The Denise House please contact our Manager of Volunteers, Melanie Guy at 905.728.7311 or

mguy@thedenisehouse.com.

More than 5,000volunteer hours were served.

Pat started her volunteer service at The Denise House in 2014 and has performed many duties – from babysitting through organizing items at the Donation Centre. However, she has found her training as a forester at the University of Toronto Faculty of Forestry to be the inspiration for initiating Nature Walks for women staying at the shelter.

Pat has invested her own funds, time and effort into taking courses to learn more about the relaxing techniques of nature therapy. She cites people in Japan (where more than 50 per cent of the population suffers from stress) who use nature to promote health and prevent disease. Numerous studies have shown that forest environments and nature are highly therapeutic. Being in nature helps give our over-stimulated brains a chance to rest, which can help improve mood, ease anxiety, stress and depression. Medical experts have long known the relaxation that can come with nature, especially for trauma recovery.

Pat realizes some women are far too stressed

or still in signifi cant crisis to be able to fully adapt the concepts and learnings; many will incorporate the practices later in their lives or encourage their children to take advantage of the therapy nature offers us.

Given the location of the shelter today, there aren’t many places for Pat to help women learn the relaxation techniques nature offers us. Pat is hopeful the new shelter will include suffi cient space for a garden and yard for women to be able to use to practice what she is teaching them.

Pat shares with women the calming effects nature can have on people when big life decisions are pending; getting away to a quiet, different place can help the brain rest and focus on important life choices. Because so many things are happening in our busy worlds – from the incessant sounds of traffi c through carrying a telephone with us – it’s diffi cult to process important thoughts. Getting into nature really can “declutter” our brains.

We are truly grateful and fortunate to have Pat’s expertise and knowledge to lead our Nature Walks for Women.

From our volunteer Board of Directors, through dedicated people like Nancy and Pat, we thank each of the people who chose to dedicate their time, effort and skills to help the women and children relying on us. Your efforts do not go unnoticed – thank you!

More Than 50Volunteers

dedicate their time, skills and effort to help the women and children living in the shelter and at

the Donation Centre.

6 7

Marg was a student in the fi rst graduating class of the two year Human Services Counsellor program at Durham College in the mid 1990’s.

After her graduation she started her career with The Denise House as one of our Women’s Caseworkers; the remarkable women who work daily in the shelter to support, advise, inform, and listen to women and their children in our care who are seeking their way out of abusive relationships.

One of her two student placements was at The Denise House, and almost twenty years later she is one of our four Community Support Workers and our only staff person supporting women in the shelter with their quest to fi nd a new home. This valuable outreach based program focuses on the hundreds of women and their children, that do not need or want to live in the shelter, but who need support, advice, and healing as they seek a life free from abuse.

“Although there are similarities in our client’s experiences of abuse, every single woman’s process is unique. There is no one road map

leading to a happier, safer, better life; our work is based on the individual’s needs. We support each woman to develop and follow their own road map.”

Women access community support for a variety of reasons; some are questioning if their relationships are abusive, some are looking for a way out, some are looking for healing after they leave, but ALL are in need of safety planning.

“The initial response a woman hears from a staff person, or anyone for that matter, is paramount to their journey to a safe life. I do believe that when a woman’s experience of abuse is heard, believed, and validated, this often can be the beginning of a positive change.”

Working in a Shelter for Women and ChildrenAs the Housing Support Worker, Marg assists women living in the shelter fi nd a new place to live. She provides information about programs and services that can benefi t their search for housing, assists in connecting to these supports, identifi es the barriers, and helps women develop a plan to reach their goal. Much of the work is about encouraging, empowering, and supporting women to make decisions – all while in crisis and often barely able to digest the situation they fi nd themselves in.

On any given day Marg can fi nd herself assisting with fi lling out applications, sourcing required documentation, rehearsing how to speak with a landlord, how to be a good tenant, and tenant rights. Some of the more diffi cult challenges are managing systemic problems like a shortage of safe and affordable housing, discrimination against women who have social service based income, and ever tightening requirements regarding credit checks, references and co-signers.

For women who fi nd the courage to leave a life-threatening situation, it is unfortunate that they have to battle one challenge after the next in situations that are often completely new. It is vital to our women and children that the community is aware of the challenges that are present and be prepared to assist them by easing the way for them whenever possible.

When invited to share how she copes with the pressure and stress of working with victims of abuse each day, Marg shares, “I am pretty good at not taking it home with me, but there are times that I wonder if she will make it through this weekend.” Sadly, Marg has witnessed far too many tragedies in our community.

The benefi ts? “I am constantly surprised and inspired by the strength and courage of our clients – the ones that leave and the ones who stay. When out in the community I am often happily approached by a woman who will say, ‘I’m doing so well – thank you’. It’s nice to know that you may have had a hand in that outcome”.

Thanks to Marg and our other dedicated team members – there are thousands of women and children in Durham Region that are very grateful.

27,000meals served last year.

1,900Women and children relied

on the shelter and programs.

8 9

Perdita Felicien and her mom, Cathy Browne, are champions for violence against women and children. In 1987, they lived at The Denise House briefl y before moving into their own home. Perdita became interested in track and fi eld in high school, went on to compete in two Olympic Games and holds several Canadian track and fi eld records. She is a World Champion hurdler and is currently writing her memoirs - watch for her book soon!

After experiencing any form of abuse each member of the family has to heal individually fi rst, and secondly as a family unit. Children and their mom’s rely on support staff, Durham and Centennial College and high school students and volunteers in the shelter who are trained to deal with the extraordinary challenges facing our children and their moms. Volunteers provide many services – caring for children while their moms’ are in meetings or at appointments, cooking meals, and teaching age appropriate crafts.

We rely on our community for support in many ways too – both through gifted items or donations (cash, credit card gifts, gift cards for stores). For example, each child is greeted with a brand new small stuffed toy to provide them some comfort when they arrive in the shelter. New and gently used clothing, books, and toys are provided for children who celebrate their birthday or other special occasions while living in the shelter.

Children in the Shelter

Champions for Women and Children380 Community Support Clients

participated in Outreach Counselling.

4 Group SessionsMom and Me Program a Year.

“On any given day, up to 50 per cent of the shelter’s residents are children from newborns to age 17. According to the Health Canada’s Handbook for health and social service providers and educators on children exposed to women/family violence the long term effects of living with abuse depend on the age of the child and what they have experienced: babies may cry too much and can fail to thrive, older children often struggle to learn at school and teens can develop drug and alcohol dependency problems and depression.”

~ Deborah Koeper, Program Manager, The Denise House

“Safe havens for women and their children are a necessity in our communities. We must have resources readily accessible because supporting women and children on their journey to a life free from abuse is critical. Shelters save lives.”

~ Perdita Felicien, Champion for women andchildren fl eeing abuse, former resident, twotime Olympian and World ChampionTrack and Field Athlete

10 11

Since 1983 volunteers in Durham Region have served as members of The Denise House Board, bringing their skills, education/background and commitment to help women and children fi nd their way to a life free from abuse.

In June 2016, the current Board of Directors hosted a reception to reunite and recognize all those who have dedicated their time, treasure and talent to assist women and children in our community. Hosted by friend and shelter champion, two time Olympian and Canadian Track and Field athlete and CBC broadcaster, Perdita Felicien, the event reunited more than 40 community members who were brought up to date with the shelters plans and honoured by Cathy Browne, Perdita’s mom, sharing her story of living in the shelter in 1987, moving into their own home and eventually returning to school, becoming a Health Care Aid and a grandmother.

Board of Directors, 2016/17Shahid Alvi, PresidentAndrea BaxterStephanie CubittMichelle DavisCheryl DenomyDiane Dickson-KailanSusanne McEvoy, First Vice PresidentSusanne LuehrAndrea MarshallWendy NunnAjay VashistLeigh Winn-Kruck

The Board Reunion event in June welcomed many former board members to meet current board members and hear about news from The Denise House. (Photo by Austin Waddell)

Cathy Browne, Deb Koeper, Program Manager, Perdita Felicien, MC of the event and Sandra McCormack, Executive Director. (Photo by Austin Waddell)

Our Board of Directors

“Our government funding only goes so far... with more and more families needing the shelter we are full almost all the time and it’s become the norm to have a waiting list.

Donors make the difference between turning women and children away and us having the ability to take them in, provide healthy meals and ensure a safe place to live until they fi nd a new home. Thank you for helping us, help women and children fi nd their way to a life free from violence.”

~ Shahid Alvi, Ph.D. President, Board of Directors, The Denise House

A child’s journey to heal is supported by many people both in the shelter and in the community

Our summer camp runs for one week during the summer, offering an opportunity for school age children to participate in a social, supportive and fun camp free of charge. In shelter children and those in our outreach programs are eligible to attend.

We run themed days where children work together on problem solving while playing fun interactive games. We look at healthy expression of feelings, working through feelings of anger in a positive way and we do all of this through fun games and activities within our building and within the community.

We offer the opportunity for youth to volunteer as camp leaders and earn community hours as well as inviting the moms to participate in a fun self-esteem activity which wraps up the week of camp.

Our Summer Camp for Children

11 Presentationsin schools.

81 Childrenstayed in the shelter.

For more information:Call 905.728.7311

Visit thedenisehouse.comChara itababblee RRegistrt ation #1#107079696565691RRR000000010101Chara itable Registration #107965691RR0001010

Thank you for providing a safe night’s sleep,

clothing for those that arrive without any, and funds to offer a future fi lled with promise.