The Moving Forward Program, run by the Revelstoke Women’s Society Shelter (RWSS), supports women transitioning from the shelter by providing social support and outreach services.
“The program was created to bridge a connection for women who are leaving the shelter into the community,” Outreach Coordinator Adria Tillen said. Distinct from the work of Community Connections, the program offers group activities, counselling and school programming. As the coordinator, Tillen
provides outreach services for women, anything from grocery deliveries to a bit of company.
While the shelter itself is funded through BC Housing, Moving Forward is financed solely through donations, fundraising and grant writing.
“This gives us a unique approach,” Tillen said. “We don’t have to comply with other standards and get to serve the community how we find is best needed.”
Moving Forward offers a wide range of activities for women to take part in, including music and art therapy programs.
“We’ve gone camping, had fireside talks, art classes, beading classes and pottery classes,” Tillen said. “I know that women love coming together and building relationships. They love the program, they love the shelter, they love the events and the activities we do.”
Over the summer, the program planted and tended a plot in the community garden run by the Local Food Initiative. Women were invited to garden together on Wednesdays or to visit at their leisure.
Last year 595 people accessed Moving Forward’s outreach services, an increase of 33 per cent from the previous year. Their initiatives are making strides in the community, and the Monday night trauma-informed yoga classes demonstrate this success.
“When I took over the position, there were about eight women who were consistently there every week,” Tillen said. “Then we switched days, and it just exploded. We started actually turning people away, so moved to the MP3 room at the Community Centre, which is huge and really opens the capacity for however many show up.”
Why is Moving Forward so important?
“It’s about connecting women across the spectrum of Revelstoke, getting together and meeting each other’s needs,” Tillen said. “Women come with a variety of needs. One woman may have an emotional need, and someone else might need a bed moved. When we come together, those with a need and those with resources are put in connection and we are able to help one another. Needs are met when relationships are made.”
Tillen also commented on the internal impact, that for some women it is the anonymity and the time to themselves that appeals.
“People can come in and practice yoga and leave without any requirement or any output of connection,” she said. In this way, the program can be extraordinary in aiding self-discovery and creativity.
Alongside these groups, Moving Forward provides 10 free counselling sessions offered in-house and by outreach. Two clinical counsellors and an art therapist on staff are available to speak to women, men and children in need of support. Prevention is a key aspect of the program, which is why counselling services are offered for both women and men.
“Protecting women is creating healthy men,” Lynn Loeppky, executive director of RWSS explained.
Moving Forward also runs school programs, and Loeppky said that the younger the conversation starts, the better. Currently offered is Krafty Kids, a social program for Grade Five and Six children, and the Healthy Relationships and Consent Program for Grade Eight students, with plans to expand on these.
To support Moving Forward and the shelter, Loeppky suggests volunteering at The Coldest Night of the Year, their biggest fundraiser. Taking place Feb. 22, the fundraiser is part of a national campaign to raise awareness around homelessness and vulnerable populations. The majority of funds raised go into the shelter’s counselling programs.
How else can you support the work of the shelter?
“People can always apply to stand on the Board of Directors,” Loeppky suggested. “And folks can donate directly to the shelter through cheque, online
transfer or on our website.”
Individuals are encouraged to get in touch with Tillen if they have any ideas for Moving Forward, or services they would like to provide. She also wants women to know she is here and available to assist in any capacity.
“It doesn’t necessarily even have to be domestic violence,” she said. “Outreach is for anyone who needs a bit of support.”
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