Organization that supports victims of sexual violence in New Brunswick cutting back phone-line hours

Women's centre forced to reduce hours Women's organization that helps counsel victims of sexual violence is reducing hours because of a lack of volunteers. Jennifer Basa reports.

FREDERICTON — Despite a tripling of demand in recent years, Sexual Violence New Brunswick says it is forced to reduce hours at its around-the-clock support line due to a lack of volunteers.

The phone line offers a confidential place for anyone affected by sexual violence to turn to and receive services and supports.

In a release, the executive director for the organization says they have to "operate from our current volunteer capacity."

"We have done everything we can as an organization to try to maintain the 24-hour service which we see as the heart of our organization," said Lorraine Whalley.

"For the foreseeable future, our organization will operate within our existing resources, meaning the service will only be available in the evening and overnight hours. We will be focused on rebuilding our volunteer base as well as explore ways to provide this essential service to those impacted by sexual violence 24 hours a day."

The organization has been operating in the province for almost 50 years, advocating for and providing counselling support to victims of sexual violence in Fredericton and across New Brunswick.

Run entirely by volunteers, says Whalley, the support line has been “chronically underfunded.”

"We probably need another 20 to 25 volunteers to be able to sustain a 24-hour support line," said Whalley.

Beth Lyons, executive director of the N.B. Women’s Council, says Sexual Violence New Brunswick has been providing “essential, direct services like this for decades with inadequate funding and support.”

"As the pervasiveness of sexual violence becomes increasingly clear and as conversations shift away from victim-blaming, more people are seeking support after sexual violence has been perpetrated against them. This is good, but we aren’t seeing a corresponding increase of support to community-based organizations who are providing survivors with concrete supports," she said.

Lyons also points to the necessity of these volunteers being properly trained to take on the work.

"It requires trauma stewardship and collective care to reduce the chances of volunteers burning out or experiencing vicarious trauma," she said.

"This stewardship and care can look like an organization publicly naming that it’s working under impossible conditions and refusing to ask individuals to burn themselves out in hopes of addressing what are systemic issues, like the precarious and inadequate funding of direct services for survivors of sexual violence and community-based organizations more broadly."

Lyons also added that COVID-19 has complicated things for women experiencing sexual violence.

“When you have people, who are told to stay home, and for women, home may not be a safe place. So, it becomes even more difficult for friends, family, neighbours to realize what’s happening and find a way to safely intervene and then find a way for outreach workers to help as well,” said Lyons.

Chantal Poirier is the executive director at Crossroads for Women in Moncton, N.B. – a space that offers outreach services, a 24-7 crisis line and transition housing to accommodate dozens of women and children.

"What happens to these women is if there's nothing available for them to move onto, they either go back to their abuser where they have a roof over their head or they are homeless," said Poirier.

According to Poirier, there is funding out there, but it is not readily available for victims of domestic violence.

"People can turn the TV off and turn the radio off and just not look at it, whereas when you're driving down Main Street, you see homeless. It's right in front of you, so a lot of funding goes towards fixing those issues," explained Poirier.

Poirier says there has been a huge increase in services at their centre during the pandemic.

“Our services are in dire need in the community and across the Atlantic provinces. There’s an increase in the severity of cases as well.”

Sexual Violence New Brunswick is hoping to recruit more volunteers over the summer and will be holding a training session in the fall.

Anyone interested in volunteering with the organization can call 1-506-454-0460 Information is also provided on the organization's website.