Efforts are well underway to establish a women’s shelter in Brock Township.

According to a media release from The Nourish and Develop Foundation, there is a pressing need for additional supports for women in the community – specifically women in crisis and those at risk of violence or homelessness.

“While these incidents are often hidden from the public, we have become more aware through our involvement with emergency service providers, that the need is real and there are few resources in place to address this need in a positive way,” the media release reads.

“This realization has led to the development of a plan to create a resource centre and shelter for women in Brock Township. There are four women’s shelters in Durham Region that are located in Oshawa, Whitby, Ajax and Bowmanville. These shelters are often at capacity and women from North Durham are hesitant to access them due to the long distance from their children’s schools, their jobs and their communities.”

The scale of the project and its proposed services are specific to Brock and surrounding rural areas.

“The centre will provide women from rural North Durham communities with an opportunity to access services much closer to home. These services will include onsite counseling, housing support, legal support, child and youth support, career and life skills programming and temporary shelter for women and their children who are at risk of violence, abuse, homelessness and require temporary shelter and support to re-establish themselves. These services can be accessed both by the general community as well as residents of the shelter,” the media release reads.

“While we are in the development phase of our centre, TNDF is currently providing referrals to social services, counseling and shelters, as well as emergency supplies of food, clothing and basic household items for people of all genders. We are here to help in any way we can.”

For more information on the project, call 705-996-0302 or 1-833-979-0302 (toll-free).