Second-stage housing for domestic violence victims may finally be coming to Langley
Langley has long been the only large Fraser Valley community without second-stage housing for women fleeing domestic violence. That may change soon.
A plan is taking shape to bring second-stage housing for Langley women fleeing domestic violence.
The community is currently the only one of its size without long-term supportive, independent homes designated for women (and sometimes, their children) leaving abusive partners. The survivors’ needs are complicated by trauma and, increasingly, the rising cost of housing.
Ishtar Women’s Resource Society, a Langley non-profit that operates two short-term transition homes for women, has been highlighting Langleyâs need for second-stage housing for years.
Now, the society has its eyes on space in a new Langley apartment building that should be ready in two years. Construction on the building is expected to begin next spring, and the society hopes to lease 36 units with the help of BC Housing.
The plan is currently in the crown corporationâs hands as it finishes its appraisal.
âWeâre extremely hopeful,â Ishtarâs executive director Maureen Berlin said.
Story continues below.
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The first and second stages
Ishtar currently operates two transition homes in Langley. The âfirst-stageâ houses welcome women and their children in the days and weeks after leaving domestic abuse. Each home has four or five bedrooms and families live in a co-op setting.
The short-term homes seek a balance between autonomy and trauma-informed support.
âThe women that we work with have been told what to do, controlled, for so many years that we really want them to feel in control of their environment as much as we can,â Berlin said.
The houses are staffed 24/7 so support is available whenever it is most needed and not bound by the confines of office hours.
âFor people that have gone through trauma, sometimes the evening or the dark is a difficult time,â Berlin said. âSometimes, when the kiddies go to sleep, and they have that bit of quiet time they want to talk things through.â
Although transitional housing is a safe space with plenty of support, it isnât completely conducive to long-term growth or healing.
âBecause their whole focus, when they’re in the transition houses, is where they’re going to go next, the opportunity that we have to really work with them through the trauma is not there. The whole focus is where they’re going to go,â Berlin said. The first stage was designed for month-long visits, but stays are rarely that short without a clear next move.
The ideal next step is second-stage housing.
In contrast to transition housing, the second stage consists of subsidized individual apartments. The emphasis is on independence, and stays can be one to two years. Support (for finding counseling, setting up banking, or getting work or further training) is still available in the buildingâs office.
Such facilities exist in other Fraser Valley communities, including the Christine Lamb Residence in Abbotsford, Xolhemet Second Stage in Chilliwack, and Santa Rosa Place in Mission. But Langley lacks any such facilities.
Complications from the housing crisis
Without second-stage housing, the question of âwhere nextâ has several different answersânone of them perfect and all of them impacted by the housing crisis.
âWe were begging other communities that have a second stage to take our women,â Berlin said. âThatâs not always ideal.â Proximity to a womanâs work, family, and sometimes kids can make moving to second-stage housing in a different community a poor option. If homes elsewhere wonât work, Ishtar looks for rare affordable rentals and helps women through the process of securing them. That can mean preparing a woman to talk to a landlord and, in previous years, helping with cost barriers like damage deposits and first and last monthâs rent.
Often, though, the make-shift solution to a missing next step is a longer stay in transition housing.
âThe housing crisis has changed that whole time frame,â Berlin said. âSo we have women staying in the transition houses for months and months and months.â
Innovating for faster solutions
The housing crisis also complicated Ishtarâs current efforts to create second-stage housing in Langley.
Berlin joined Ishtar a year and a half ago. At that point, the dream was a purpose-built facility that would be modelled after those in other communitiesâwith transition housing, second-stage housing, and the societyâs offices all in one.
âWe could not find any property,â Berlin said. âAnd becauseâŠevery day that we don’t have housing, it means a woman and child are on the street, we looked at innovative ways to meet the need sooner than later.â
The 36 apartments are the result of the pursuit of innovative solutions. BC Housing has been largely supportive of Ishtar’s efforts and this upcoming plan, and just needs to give a final sign-off on the project.
But despite high hopes for the plan pending provincial approval, the compromise may not meet all future needs.
âI would like 136 [apartments]â Berlin said. âBut itâs a start. And we hope, now that awareness is coming more to the forefront of the need for second-stage housing and the need for women and children to be safe, that it will be easier to get.â
It belongs to everyone: awareness and improvements
As understanding of domestic violence and the hurdles faced by women experiencing domestic violence increases Berlin wants the stereotypes surrounding it to fadeâmaking options better and better known.
Berlin emphasized that domestic abuse can happen to anyoneâregardless of income or education. It is the communityâs responsibility to assist survivors who leave violent relationships heal and regain their footing in the world.
âDomestic violence belongs to everyone,â Berlin said. Ishtar works with women from all walks of life, including professionals like lawyers, accountants, and educators. âYou don’t have to come from a financially disadvantaged background or an educationally disadvantaged background⊠It’s all of our jobs to do a better job taking care of the mom and kids first.â
The stigma, she said, is at least a small part of the reason second-stage housing has been lacking in Langley for as long as it has.
âIt relates back to the awareness of what domestic violence looks like and how prevalent it is, because it’s typically something that’s hiddenâand how much the need to solve it is with everyone in the community.â
If you are experiencing domestic abuse and looking for assistance in Langley, you can contact one of Ishtarâs transition houses 24/7 at 604-530-9442 (Ishtar House) and 604-857-5797 (Libra House). For assistance elsewhere in the province call the BC Emergency Health Services crisis line at 1-800-784-2433.
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