Moose Jaw Transition House has officially opened its new downtown office to serve the community better and recently held a get-together that featured pink and purple balloons and equally colourful cupcakes.
Guests gathered at 2-105 High Street West on March 7 — a day before International Women’s Day — to celebrate the occasion, with Mayor Clive Tolley helping staff cut a pink ribbon with oversized golden scissors. Attendees then toured the various offices and rooms.
While this was the official opening, Transition House held a soft launch in early October after acquiring the space in late September.
Domestic violence increased dramatically across Canada and in Moose Jaw during the pandemic, but women staying in shelters went down, said Jenn Angus, executive director of Transition House. The organization knew that more people needed support, but few were reaching out for help, so it decided to increase its non-residential services.
Simultaneously, the province provided the agency with funding to participate in a pilot initiative called the Family Intervention Rapid Support Team (FIRST) program, while it also received a grant to increase its support to rural areas, she continued.
“So, we started to really have a lot more non-residential clients to engage in our community, but we didn’t have a place for them to come,” she remarked. “Meeting in a coffee shop is nice — unless you’re talking about something you don’t want people to overhear.”
Transition House had a great office in a church basement and received support from that group, but it wanted a location that was more accessible for clients and more visible to the community, Angus said.
Due to some generous donors and the support of building owner Leipert Financial Group (LFG), the agency secured a downtown location for several years, she added. The office also gives clients more opportunities to learn about the organization’s programs, services, and support.
With a laugh, Angus acknowledged that the office was bright and clean because of Tim Leipert, who renovated the space for them. All staff did was add desks and other accessories — although they inherited plenty of wall art from former tenant MNP.
Leipert said his father and uncle are Moose Jaw-born and believe in supporting the community, so when Transition House approached the business about securing the space and possibly making a financial donation, they jumped at the opportunity.
“It will be great going forward,” he said, adding humorously that both groups will be competing for parking space.
Mayor Tolley was excited about the office’s opening, saying, “It’s another service for people in our community. We are a caring community… that looks after each other. And if you didn’t know where to go for services in the past or you were hesitant, here’s a place that’s in a busy downtown location.
“You can walk in and get services without feeling any kind of shame or apprehension, and there’s no judgment … ,” he continued. “And I think having it … next to our business community is a great idea.”
If clients need more services than what the office offers, staff can send them to the shelter, which provides encompassing wrap-around services, Angus said. The agency also has a great relationship with the Moose Jaw Police Service and can rely on it for support, including its Victim Services branch.
“We can make sure that people get the support they need at every step of their journey,” she added.
Deputy Police Chief Rick Johns thought the office’s opening was “fantastic” because it was important to give these support services more exposure in the community. He noted that having a storefront near the corner of High Street West and First Avenue Northwest will accomplish that.
