Linda Krystina Safe House provides haven for women and children fleeing violence

The Saulteau First Nations community is turning a senseless act of violence into hope for future individuals facing violence at the hands of a spouse or family member.

The Linda Krystina Safe House is a haven for women and their children fleeing violence. It gives them an opportunity to feel safe and supported while they heal.

According to Shari Lyn Rougeau, the start date for the house was in November.

“November 1st was the kickoff date. The house was established in 2017 as a response to domestic violence that ended up with two people losing their lives,” said Rougeau. “The Chief and Council purchased a property, I came into the picture in 2019 and we started working on getting it up and running.”

Having a background in residential properties, Rougeau says navigating the COVID-19 restrictions and guidelines was easy.

“I’ve been doing it for about 15 years, so it was pretty easy for me to navigate the COVID-19 restrictions. A lot of them really don’t apply to us because we are in close contact and we are considered an essential service. We do have the sanitization and masks, we have COVID-19 checklists for people who come in and out, and we do a lot of tracking as a safety measure.”

The two-bedroom house comes with bunk beds, with space for another bed in the form of a cot or a crib.

“Basically, it’s one family per bedroom. We are in talks with BC Housing right now to develop more buildings on the property.”

Rougeau says it’s difficult to balance letting people know they exist with maintaining the safety of the users. For the safety of clients, only the society’s phone number is shared.

“Getting the word out is kind of tricky in this situation. We want to make sure that everybody knows that we exist, and the purpose of the house and the programs and supports we offer, but that’s kind of where it stops. That’s just for the safety of the people in the house.”

While the house is new, Rougeau says it has seen some clients already.

“That’s the hard conversation you have with anybody when you talk about the safe house. It’s good that we’re getting referrals, but it’s not good that we’re getting referrals, and there’s no delicate way to talk about that situation.”

The house is supported by non-profit societies including BC Housing, Ending Violence Association of BC, as well as some other grants that Rougeau and her staff have applied for.

For more information, contact the Linda Krystina Housing Society at 250-401-8079.