And it all began with a hand-scrawled note on a wall.

May 3, 2017 2:10 PM

How Canada's First Women's Shelters Saved Women From Their Husbands
posted by jacquilynne (8 comments total)

They're heroes.
posted by 80 Cats in a Dog Suit at 2:23 PM on May 3, 2017 [6 favorites]

Someone posted in despair on Twitter the other day "there are no heroes" and I thought, no, I know some. People like this, who make a difference, even though they can't magically solve the problems. They are heroes.

We're going to need even more of them going forward in this country. I hope we are able to.
posted by emjaybee at 2:31 PM on May 3, 2017 [6 favorites]

Why did I read that in such a dusty room?
posted by The Underpants Monster at 3:13 PM on May 3, 2017

I was a volunteer at Interval House some years ago (until they relocated to a new facility that was hard for me to get to). It is an amazing story, and they have expanded their offerings past the crisis stage to support women starting over again with housing and job support.
The biggest change they told me they have seen is how many immigrant women they now see - women who may lose their status by leaving their abuser. This prompted them to expand into areas like immigration law and having translators available.
posted by obliquity of the ecliptic at 7:16 PM on May 3, 2017 [6 favorites]

My mom volunteered at interval house (I think, or a shelter just like it) when I was a kid. She wasn't allowed to talk about it at all because the location had to be kept totally secret to keep the women safe. I remember she looked pretty shaken up sometimes when she came home, from some of the things she was helping women deal with.

obliquity of the ecliptic, you and my mom are awesome.
posted by 5_13_23_42_69_666 at 4:03 AM on May 4, 2017 [1 favorite]

don't read the comments. you'd think I'd learn.

great story though, and thank you for sharing it.
posted by sazerac at 7:07 AM on May 4, 2017

"Runaway wives" - a somehow glib term that explicitly acknowledges marriage as a prison and women as property. Chills.
posted by We put our faith in Blast Hardcheese at 9:29 AM on May 4, 2017 [2 favorites]

I thought the comments were pretty tame for an article on this kind of subject.
posted by The Underpants Monster at 12:00 PM on May 4, 2017