A new program is being implemented in the Westlock, Barrhead and Athabasca region to address relationship violence.
Members of the organizations tasked with getting the Athabasca, Barrhead and Westlock Rural Response to Relationship Violence program rolling held their first meeting June 29 at the Westlock Family and Community Support Services office to discuss their next steps.
Those present included Healthy Families Healthy Futures executive director Linda West and representatives from the Westlock Hope Resource Centre, the RCMP, the town and county of Westlock, probation officers and other organizations.
The ultimate point of the meeting, said West, was to try to get the project started again at a larger level.
“When we first started the process, we had a large committee working on it,” she said. “However, when we submitted our application plan, there was only a small group remaining.”
In order to combat and address relationship violence, West said it’s not simply enough to provide services to help. Instead, it’s more about all the stakeholders involved working together to reduce the barriers that prevent those in violent situations from seeking help.
An example of this would be a program for men who are perpetrators of violence. West said such a program could not work without the help of the probation officers and the RCMP.
During the meeting, a round-table discussion took place about the different categories of service the program would provide, including promoting safety for victims and their families, holding the perpetrators accountable and educating the community at large.
In addition, the attendees discussed which parties in the member municipalities they would need to collaborate with in order to ensure success.
Currently, West said she is in the process of hiring a co-ordinator to take over running the program, and she hopes to have that person chosen and in place before the end of the summer.
The Athabasca, Barrhead and Westlock Rural Response to Relationship Violence program is funded by a $1.1 million grant through the province’s Safe Communities Innovation Fund. The money was announced by Barrhead-Morinville-Westlock MLA Ken Kowalski on May 13.
“We need something to deal with bullying and family violence,” he said at the time. “Family violence is a major issue, and it’s something not many people want to talk about.”
This announcement is three years in the making, Kowalski said. The idea first came up in 2007 and 2008 in government caucus, he said, when his fellow PC MLAs were discussing ways to deal with violence in the province.
The money, which is $373,000 each year until 2014, will be given to Healthy Families Healthy Futures because their members are on the ground and have a better understanding of what programs would work best in the area.
“Every community is unique and has its own specific needs,” Kowalski said. “This is a great way for communities to develop and tailor projects that address their local priorities.”
