By Dianne Cornish, REVIEW STAFF
Having recently lost its funding source, the Flamborough Women’s Resource Centre (FWRC) of Waterdown was facing possible closure. But a last-minute reprieve came last week when members of Hamilton’s emergency and community services committee voted unanimously to have city staff look for alternate sources of funding to keep the organization afloat.
The move was spearheaded by committee chair and Flamborough councillor Judi Partridge, who presented the motion to begin the funding search for the Main Street South facility that opened two years ago to provide counseling and assistance to Flamborough women dealing with domestic violence and addiction issues. The committee’s recommendation was set to go before city council for ratification Wednesday night.
While “not 100 per cent sure” how council will respond to the proposal or where the funding search will lead, the administrator of the women’s service centre said she’s hopeful that the resource centre can attain the funding it needs to continue its work in the community.
Clare Freeman, executive director of Interval House that runs the FWRC, said she got a strong sense that committee members understand the importance of the centre and its services, many of which are provided to women living in isolated settings. She added that she was encouraged by the comments of committee members, councillors Brian McHattie and Terry Whitehead, who spoke about the needs of rural residents and how they differ from those living in urban areas.
“It’s wonderful that these councillors are not forgetting about rural communities,” she said.
Partridge lauded her council colleagues for their unanimous support, as well as their “very passionate comments” on the need for services in outlying areas of the city. “It’s the only rural outreach program in the city and it’s important,” she said of the FWRC.
Because the centre’s funding runs out at the end of March, city staff has been directed to report to the committee’s next meeting on February 13 with the results of their search. Partridge is confident the money will be found. “There are additional funds for additional programs,” she said, adding that staff indicated at last week’s meeting that there are “a couple of funding sources they could tap into.”
Since its inception, the FWRC has received funding from the city through the Homelessness Partnering Strategy (HPS), a federal government program that is administered by the city. However, the money now comes with a set of criteria directing that it be used for projects dedicated to finding housing for the homeless. Centre staff learned just last month that their application for funding wasn’t being recommended by city staff.
The FWRC had been receiving $140,000 annually from the HPS program to cover the cost of a legal advocate and full-time counselor and outreach person at the centre. Other costs, including office rental, are covered through fundraising initiatives, such as the Ruby Slipper Walk held in Waterdown every September.
Reacting to the committee’s decision to help find alternate funding sources, Freeman said, “I think this would be an important step for the city to show it does recognize the needs for these services in rural areas.”
She noted that the centre was founded because of “strong community engagement” that showed a need for it. She explained that rural residents require services to be delivered in different ways because they are often more reluctant to ask for help than their urban counterparts and confidentiality is more important to them. Community and relationship building were required before residents began to trust and use the FWRC, she said.
In the past year, 64 women received counseling at the centre and 331 got help on poverty issues or housing. Others were given information or referrals.
