A women’s house project in the Outaouais on hold due to lack of funding

The La Maison d’Ingrid project was launched three years ago. The organization acquired land in Cantley to build a women’s home with 25 places.

However, the project comes up against a lack of funding for the construction of the center. La Maison d’Ingrid has already suffered a first refusal from the Société d’habitation du Québec (SHQ) and a second from the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC).

La Maison d’Ingrid is disappointed with the responses received, as demand continues to increase.

You have to understand that the Outaouais is currently considered to be the region that has to refuse the most women in Quebec, due to a lack of places in shelters. We definitely wanted to be able to have access to this funding to remedy this situation.commented Claudia Fradette, president of the board of directors of La Maison d’Ingrid.

The organization indicates that it is awaiting a more formal meeting with the CLOSE to discuss the project again.

Too many requests for available places

The Outaouais has seven women’s shelters offering a total of 84 places. For the year 2021 and the current one, these centers have received 369 women, for some victims of domestic violence, and more than 300 children. But for lack of space, the organizations had to refuse 1,478 women and more than 700 children for this same period.

To meet the demand, community organizations estimate that two additional women’s shelters in the Outaouais would be needed to create about forty additional places.

Better known services

Annick Brazeau, member of the board of directors of La Maison d’Ingrid, notes that the COVID-19 pandemic has had the effect of raising awareness of the services offered to women in situations of violence, which partly explains the increase in the number of calls received for support.

We’ve talked so much about resources [pendant la pandémie], the women were informed. I think we get more calls because women are aware that we exist, that there are resources and organizations to help them. She is there, the differenceshe says.

She also points out that the region’s women’s shelters also offer external services.

Resources are also available at all times, such as SOS Violence conjugale (New window) in Quebec or even Fem’aide (New window) in Ontario.

With information from Rosalie Sinclair and Nelly Alberola

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