While the Cochrane Emergency and Womens’ Shelter is still awaiting a needs assessment to move forward, proponents are gearing up for a public awareness campaign to be rolling out next week.
“We want to start telling people who we are and what we do,” said Margaret Van Tighem, one of the women spearheading the initiative.
Started last November as a grassroots movement between six women – five out of the six having previous experience staying in emergency shelters – the board members said they realized there is a need in the community with the closest emergency shelters located in Calgary, Strathmore and Morley.
“Right now, it is all about awareness,” Van Tighem said.
Information about the future Cochrane Shelter will now be available at the weekly Cochrane Farmers’ Markets starting July 29 at an information booth at the Cochrane Ranche.
“We are hopeful for the needs assessment to be started and completed within a year,” Van Tighem said.
While the board would not share what an assessment would cost, the group is nearing its goal to have a needs assessment completed with more than $7,000 raised over the last nine months thanks to the help of local fundraisers, donations from Cochrane’s 100 Men Who Give a Damn group and grant money from the Town of Cochrane.
“We have already applied for membership with the Alberta Council of Women’s Shelters as well,” Van Tighem said.
The need was first identified in early 2016 when Susan Flowers, manager of Cochrane and Family Community Support Services (FCSS), said “the need has shown up but the numbers are not high enough.”
Coun. Ross Watson also previously asked what happens to the women in need and said while the town is “building swimming pools and bridges … we can never neglect building our social supports.”
In addition to fundraising for the needs assessment, the board is open to partnering with local businesses and organizations and is planning a fall fundraiser when the website for the Cochrane Shelter will be ready to launch.
The goal is to have an emergency short-term shelter with 10 to 20 beds that would offer a three-week temporary stay with access to counselling and other services.
For more information, go to ‘Cochrane Shelter’ on Facebook or call 403-286-3172.
