About New Starts for Women

We are here to help.

New Starts for Women is an emergency short-term residential service that offers a safe place for women and children who are leaving an abusive situation.

We are a ten bed facility with four bedrooms, each having their own private 2 piece bathroom. Women and children may stay for up to six weeks. During that time we offer assistance to women, supporting the decision making and planning for their longer term goals. Due to housing shortages in Red Lake, at times families may stay longer while they await housing.

Our Mission is to provide a safe place for women who have experienced violence, where we can provide the opportunity to live free from violence.

Safe, Supportive, Confidential.

Violence and abuse against women is a crime and societal problem- not a private matter. Therefore, all levels of government and society must share responsibility to eliminate it. The solutions lie ultimately in changing values and behaviours so that the outcome is equality between men and women. A gender-based analysis of violence against women is essential to understand these inequalities. Adequate financial support of Shelters and services must be provided. Legislation and enforcement of the law must reflect the seriousness of the crime.

We acknowledge that some groups of women in our society, such as economically disadvantaged, immigrant, First Nation, francophone and disabled women face a double oppression. Many forms of violence against women reflect patriarchal attitudes and the economic structure in our society. Our mission is to provide a safe and secure refuge for women and their children who have been physically, sexually or emotionally assaulted, threatened or harassed. This refuge is to include temporary accommodation, food and other necessities on an emergency basis and is to be provided to women with or without children.

We recognize and support a woman’s right to make her own decisions and respect each individual's right to their own faith, spirituality and culture. We offer support, advocacy and information so that women can make realistic plans for themselves.

We provide appropriate referrals, establish contact with community agencies and resources and contribute to the community’s understanding of the issues of violence against women. We continue to assist with public efforts to prevent and reduce violence against women and children.

We provide all of the above from a non-judgmental, feminist perspective.

History of New Starts for Women Inc.

Women's Shelter

In 1985, Jeannie Cutts worked in Red Lake at the Patricia Centre for Children and youth as a Family Worker. During a workshop which she was holding, a woman disclosed that she was being abused. Jeannie could find no place in the community to refer this woman to. A need was realized and a group was formed. The group was from the “grass roots” level and consisted of women with a common concern. They began to have official meetings. Some of the members were Jeannie Cutts (Family Worker), Brenda Brunet (Social Worker), Angela McLaren (Teacher) and Wilma Zaal (Social Worker).

1986

In the spring of 1986 the group received $10,000 in funding from Community and Social Services to complete a ‘Needs Assessment’ in the Red Lake and Ear Falls area. Later that year, the group became incorporated and applied for further funding to open a shelter. New Starts for Women Inc. was born.

1987

By March of 1987, New Starts ran ads in the local newspaper, “The District News”, for volunteers willing to answer the New Starts crisis line and offer their time and vehicle to help bring victims of family violence to a safe place out of Red Lake, such as Dryden, Sioux Lookout and Kenora.

On October 4th and 5th of 1987, the New Starts board met with Dale McKenzie of the Manitoba Wife Abuse Program and Marlene Bertrand, Director of Osborne House to further facilitate planning. Jennifer McKibbon (President), Brenda Brunet (Chairperson), Zofia Eichenlaub, Jeannie Cutts, Rhona Karschti, Glenda Bishop, Wilma Zaal and Marjorie McCrae were all present from the Board of Directors of New Starts.

By the end of 1987, New Starts for Women expanded its service to include a full-time staff person and 24 hour crisis telephone and transportation availability.

1988

The Board of Directors was very concerned about domestic violence in the Red Lake area and continued working to combat the problem. They hoped to improve the transportation network for abused women, along with recruiting public speakers to boost public awareness of the problem in the community. They also decided it was a priority to increase the number of proposals for government funding. Training was also initiated for community taxi drivers to provide education on how to handle situations of violence against women.

1989

In 1989, the O.P.P. were fully supportive of having a Women's shelter in the Red Lake area. New Starts began writing letters to the townships of Ear Falls, Red Lake and Golden requesting to be placed on their agenda for meetings in January or February. They wished to introduce themselves to three councils and inform them of their goals and intentions.

Lyn McLeod, Minister of Colleges and Universities and the Minister responsible for Northern Social Issues, met with members of the New Starts Board on March 20 of 1989 in Red Lake to discuss their proposal for a transition house. Attending this meeting with Lyn McLeod was also Susan Braun, Acting District Manager for Community and Social Services and Dee Durkot, Program Supervisor for Community and Social Services out of Kenora. Attending from New Starts were Brenda Brunet, Chairperson, Shiela Robertson, Anna Miller, Jeannie Cutts and staff member, Marion Perrow.

On March 22nd, a presentation was made by New Starts at a Golden Township Council meeting where Brenda Brunet briefly outlined the history of the organization, function and goals of the transportation network.

In September of 1989, Frank Miclash, M.P.P. announced a $460,000 grant for a shelter. It was funded by the provincial government through the capital projects branch of the Ministry of Social Services. The money would be devoted primarily to set-up and operating costs for the first year, with additional grants coming every year to cover future operating costs.

1990

On January 17, the Township of Red Lake approved the sale of lot “Block D” on Westerlund Street for $20,000. New Starts then invited tenders for the construction of a nine bed facility with a closing for tenders on August 30th at 3:00 p.m.

1991

On January 16, advertising for staff was commenced with a closing date of February 4th. On February 15, major construction of the shelter was completed and on March 27, 1991 we celebrated the opening of the shelter with a ribbon cutting ceremony. On Tuesday, April 02, 1991 the New Starts for Women Shelter officially opened its doors to abused women in Red Lake and its catchment area.

New Starts for Women Inc., Women's Shelter is committed to protecting the privacy of the personal information of its employees, clients, members, donors and other stakeholders. We value the trust of those we deal with, and of the public, and recognize that maintaining this trust requires that we be transparent and accountable in how we treat the information that you choose to share with us.

During the course of our various projects and activities, we frequently gather and use personal information. Anyone from whom we collect such information should expect that it will be carefully protected and that any use of or other dealings with this information is subject to consent. Our privacy practices are designed to achieve this. Personal information is any information that can be used to distinguish, identify or contact a specific individual. This information can include an individual’s opinions or beliefs, as well as facts about, or related to, the individual. Exceptions: business contact information and certain publicly available information, such as names, addresses and telephone numbers as published in telephone directories, are not considered personal information. Where an individual uses his or her home contact information as business contact information as well, we consider that the contact information provided is business contact information, and is not therefore subject to protection as personal information.

Personal information gathered by our organization is kept in confidence. Our personnel are authorized to access personal information based only on their need to deal with the information for the reason(s) for which it was obtained. Safeguards are in place to ensure that the information is not disclosed or shared more widely than is necessary to achieve the purpose for which it was gathered. We also take measures to ensure the integrity of this information is maintained and to prevent its being lost or destroyed. We collect, use and disclose personal information only for purposes that a reasonable person would consider appropriate in light of the circumstances. We routinely offer individuals the opportunity to opt not to have their information shared for purposes beyond those for which it was explicitly collected.