HerWay Home Program: Comprehensive Programming for Women and Children in Victoria

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HerWay Home Program Comprehensive Programming
for Women and Children in Victoria

• Presented by Jill Davoren
• Betty Poag

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HerWay Home Program

• There is a sacredness in tears. They are not the
  mark of weakness, but of power. They are the
  messengers of overwhelm and grief and of
  unspeakable love.
• Washington Irving

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HerWay Home Program

• Queen Alexandra Hospital Foundation for Children
• Victoria General Hospital- Perinatal Program
• Blanshard Community Birth Project

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HerWay Home Program

• Review of the literature
• Identify best approach to ensure broad, low
  threshold support for women
• Comprehensive, coordinated, cross-sectoral and
  interdisciplinary

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HerWay Home Program

• Current Membership Includes
• Over 30 community and health service agencies
• Over 85 individuals
• 2 Ministries
• Several community members

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HerWay Home Program

• Steering Committee and the following Working
  Groups
• Housing
• Program Planning
• Research Evaluation
• Funding and Communication
• Womens Advisory Working Group

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HerWay Home Program

• Reviewed successful programs
• Sheway, Vancouver- Downtown Eastside
• Maxxine Wright Community Health- Surrey
• Breaking the Cycle- BTC, Toronto
• Guided development of a Victoria-specific Program
• Advising provincial and national communities

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Intersections - A view of the complexity (Poole,
2004)
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HerWay Home Program

• H ousing First
• E mpowering
• R espect
• W oman
• A cceptance
• Y our Choice

• H ealth
• O pportunity
• M othering
• E quality

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HerWay Home Program

• Theoretical Frameworks that guide our service
  delivery model
• Woman-Centred Child-Centred
• Trauma Informed
• Harm Reduction
• Services mapped to stages of change
  (Transtheoretical Model)
• Staff will have training in Motivational
  Interviewing to work more effectively with
  clients.

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HerWay Home Program

• Services
• Housing
• Primary Health Services/Perinatal Services
• Infant/Child Services
• Drug and Alcohol Counselling

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HerWay Home Program

• Services contd
• Woman Abuse Response Services
• Parenting Support and Advocacy
• Nutrition/Food security
• Pragmatic Supports

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HerWay Home
Mothers Alcohol Use
Physical environment, housing
Poole, N. (2003). Mother and Child Reunion
Preventing Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder by
Promoting Women's Health. Vancouver, BC BCCEWH
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HerWay Home
HerWay Home
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HerWay Home Program

• Detox Services
• Medical Detox Eric Martin Pavillion 4
• Victoria General Hospital- Antepartum Unit

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HerWay Home Program

• Stabilization
• Pregnancy detox and early postpartum
• 4-6 bed stabilization housing
• Supported by specialized staff 24 hours/day

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HerWay Home

• Where are we now?
• Finalizing fact sheet
• Completed business case
• Identifying funding sources for capital
  operational funding
• Applying for funding

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HerWay Home

• OUR VISION
• Find sources of funding
• Continue to develop partnerships and engage
  community, health and government
• Recognize challenges of current economy and
  political climate and continue to work toward our
  vision

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HerWay Home

• "All labour that uplifts humanity has dignity and
  importance and should be undertaken with
  painstaking excellence."
• Martin Luther King Jr.

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HerWay Home
Thank you for your time and attention!