At our recent Rise & Shine fundraising breakfast, many attendees were deeply moved hearing survivors’ stories. Their experiences brought an often-hidden reality into focus: domestic violence is not something that happens somewhere else, to someone else. It is present in all of our communities and is often closer to us than we realize.
As we recognize Domestic Violence Awareness Month, we are sharing a reminder that violence can affect women from any background, in any neighbourhood. We are also sharing what becomes possible when women and children have a safe place to turn to like Radiance, and a community ready to support them.
Claire’s Story
By most measures, Claire* had a life marked by financial security and professional success. She regularly gave her time and resources to help others and was accustomed to being someone people could turn to for support.
But behind that outward stability, Claire was living in fear.
When she left domestic violence, she and her children came to Radiance needing support she had never imagined they would one day rely on.
“We used to give to those in need,” she told our team. “Now we’re the ones needing help.”
Her words are a reminder that domestic violence does not belong to one income bracket, neighbourhood, or kind of family. Financial security and professional success do not make someone immune to abuse, and the life others see may reveal very little about what is happening at home.
For Claire and her children, Radiance provided a secure place to live, time to regain a sense of stability, and support as they began rebuilding their lives on their own terms.
Domestic violence is closer than we think. When we recognize that reality, we can help build communities where asking for support is met with compassion and where families know they do not have to face the next steps alone.
*Name and identifying details have been changed to protect privacy.
Powerful Messages From A Survivor
Claire’s story reflects experiences we hear at Radiance time and again. Each family’s circumstances are different, but the need for safety, understanding, and support is shared.
During Rise & Shine, we heard from another survivor about her experience, and these are some of the powerful key messages that were shared:
Leaving domestic violence is rarely a simple decision. Fear, financial uncertainty, children, isolation, trauma, and not knowing what comes next can all make leaving extraordinarily difficult. A survivor may leave without a clear plan simply because staying is no longer safe.
Needing shelter is not a measure of someone’s worth or future potential. A difficult period in someone’s life should not determine how we see them, or what we believe is possible for them.
Shelter can provide much more than housing. In this survivor’s experience, the most important support included counselling, encouragement, practical help, connection, and the time and space to rebuild confidence and trust in herself.
Dignity, belonging and choice matter. Feeling accepted rather than judged, being listened to, and having the freedom to make her own decisions were important parts of rebuilding.
Community can become an important source of strength. Relationships with other residents and supportive staff helped reduce isolation and created connections that continued well beyond the survivor’s time in shelter.
Safety creates room for possibility. Once immediate survival needs are met, a person can begin thinking beyond the next day— about their goals, their children, their identity, and what they want their future to look like.
Survivors should not be defined only by trauma or vulnerability. The story emphasizes the courage, determination, hope, love, skills and potential people carry with them when they leave violence.
Support can strengthen agency rather than create dependence. Encouragement to recognize her own abilities and make her own choices became an important part of the survivor’s path forward.
Children are often central to decisions about safety. The survivor wanted her children to experience home as a place where they could feel safe, loved and free from fear, and she hoped their difficult experiences would not define their futures.
See the whole person. Rather than seeing only what someone has experienced, the survivor asks people to recognize their courage, protective choices, capabilities and possibilities— and to provide the dignity, support and opportunity to determine what comes next.
Supporting Families, Strengthening Communities
For more than 40 years, Radiance Family Society has supported women and children affected by domestic violence, helping families find safety, stability, and a path forward on their own terms.
At our 24-unit second-stage shelter, families have a safe, secure place to live for around a year, with access to counselling, practical support, and resources to help them plan for what comes next. Follow up support continues for six-months after families move out of shelter, because building a stable life after violence takes time.
We also know that childcare plays an important role in creating stability and opportunity. Through our trauma-informed Children’s Centre and licensed Family Day Homes, we help children feel safe, supported, and cared for while giving parents opportunities to work, study, and build financial stability.
Our work also reaches beyond the families we serve directly. Through Thrive, we work with faith communities to increase awareness, strengthen responses to domestic violence, and help create environments where people experiencing abuse can find understanding and support.
Because addressing domestic violence takes more than helping someone leave. It takes families, neighbours, workplaces, and communities that recognize the signs, respond with care, and help make safety possible.
Meaningful Results For Our Families
Our program outcomes reflect meaningful progress: 96% of follow-up clients achieved their safety-enhancing goals, 85% of clients received support towards stable housing, and 80% of parents showed a decrease in parental stress.
Behind each percentage is a person or family taking steps towards greater safety and stability. Community support helps make that work possible.
Help Families Find Safety and Hope This Holiday Season
As the holidays approach, many of us begin thinking about how we can give back. Supporting Radiance is one way to extend care to women and children in our community who are rebuilding their lives after domestic violence.
Whether you choose to support a family over the holidays or contribute to the programs families rely on throughout the year, your generosity is part of a community that cares.
There are several ways to get involved:
- One-time or monthly financial donations
- In-kind donations
- Donations through our Amazon Wish List
- Supporting our Home-Suite-Home giving program
- Adopt-a-Family
- Gift card donations
Visit our Get Involved page to learn more about these opportunities and find a way to give that works for you.
For families like Claire’s, knowing there is somewhere safe to turn can open the door to a different future.
Together, we can help keep that door open.