In speaking with Executive Director, Sharon Floyd, I have gained a much deeper understand and appreciation for the vast array of services offered through Interim Place. The agency offers many thorough programming options designed to provide wrap-around support services to women and children who have experienced abuse and violence in the home. Catering to the Peel Region, Interim Place not only provides a wealth of services, they are also able to facilitate support from their respected community partners, such as Ontario Association of Interval & Transition Houses, Ontario Council of Agencies serving Immigrants, and Peel Committee Against Women Abuse.

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Interim Place has served more than 41,000 women and children since its

doors opened in 1981. Programming includes court support, counselling

services, a 24-hour crisis line, community support and outreach,

psycho-education, and transitional housing support. The agency also offers

shelter services through the two shelters it operates on opposite ends of

Mississauga. The shelter services offer 54 beds combined and are a refuge

for women and children who have experienced domestic violence in the

Peel Region.

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Interim Place is particularly proud of the exceptional services they are able

to provide. Interim Place has also been able to remove barriers to accessing

services for Francophones and they continue to prioritize facilitating more

accessible supports for women and children. Sharon stated that Interim

Place operates under the belief that it is important that women and their children receive services and supports in their own language. She elaborated by saying that Interim Place operates from an anti-oppressive, feminist framework and also believes in harm reduction strategies. Moreover, Interim Place champions meeting women where they are at and collaboratively works with those in need of services. As the lead agency of the Peel Committee against Women Abuse, Interim Place recently worked with VAW agencies across the Central                                                                                                       Region to develop a community of practice and a conference on the issue                                                                                                       sexual violence. Further, to offer the most inclusive services, Interim Place                                                                                                       has established exceptional relationships with ethno-specific organizations,                                                                                                     and those who are serving the most marginalized members of the community.

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                                                                                                 Sharon highlighted the important benefits of the work that Interim Place is                                                                                                         able to conduct. She stated that, first and foremost, it is an honour and a                                                                                                           privilege to be able to work with women during one of the most vulnerable                                                                                                         times in their lives. The trust of a woman who accesses our services and                                                                                                           supports is a responsibility that Interim Place does not take lightly. She                                                                                                             acknowledged that there are many challenges within the work that Interim                                                                                                         Place conducts, such as limited resources. Interim Place, like all other                                                                                                               agencies dealing with violence against women and intimate partner violence,                                                                                                   must compete for valuable resources, which strongly influence staffing                                                                                                             opportunities and services that the agency is able to provide. For instance,                                                                                                       Interim Place is reaching capacity for their shelter services. Additionally,                                                                                                           Sharon stated that within this area of work, given that the most prominent issues are often so drastic, logistical requirements and funding needs are often overlooked. For example, ensuring that agency buildings are up to code and functioning properly requires funding dollars as well. Interim Place also does not have a human resources manager at the moment as a result of limited funding. Managing over 50 staff members in the absence of such a position is challenging.

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Sharon agreed that there has been a shift in feminism as a theoretical foundation has

shifted within the violence against women sector. She disclosed that this has been

nuanced in the way that organisations engage with each other. Simply, the more

professionalized violence against women work has become the less likely they appear

to value and embody grassroots, feminist, principles. Sharon believes both can exist.

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Violence against women was deemed to be political work by Sharon, who stated that it

should continue to be political work. She explained that women’s bodies, voices,

autonomy, and rights are not valued by society as they should be, and the only way for

this to change is for pressures to be put on the systems that enable this. Thus,

advocating for and demanding change from these societal systems is, in itself, extremely

political work. Sharon continued to explain that women need to feel empowered

politically, and this needs to happen through advocacy and education. Further, there are

many different approaches to advocacy work and it is the responsibility of those within violence against women sector to ensure that the issues that women and their children face are brought to the correct people; who are making important decisions that impacts their day to day live and the lives of their children.

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            When asked of her hopes for the VAW Forum of Central Ontario, Sharon stated that she is excited for Interim Place to be able to access the array of knowledge from the many agencies doing anti-violence work in the region. Given the fact that resources for all agencies in this sector are particularly limited, she affirmed her belief that a collaborative effort such as this will likely be able to provide innovative solutions and vital support. Moreover, she sees a central forum as an opportunity to reduce the time, energy, and investment needed to create successful resources and strategies (e.g., policies, frameworks, etc.). Sharon also stated that a central forum will provide an opportunity to identify critical trends in the VAW sector across the region, which may inform promising practices and allow agencies in this sector to be more proactive in their supports and services.