The YWCA of Westman Board of Directors have partnered with Number Ten Archetectural Group with the Winnipeg Architecture Foundation to lead them through the process of developing the new women's campus to be built at the former Meredith Place in downtown Brandon.
"From now until the end of June, our board, our staff, community stakeholders, and a number of different organizations will be engaged in imagining a space for the YWCA Westman Women's Campus and all its various parts that that can incorporate," shares YWCA Westman Executive Director.
Ruston says the goal is to create a multi-faceted space, which is why they've settled on the word 'campus'. This to replace Meredith House that was de-constructed in 2023.
"We plan to incorporate the Westman Women's Shelter into the design, along with several transitional housing units—individual apartments for women and their children who are rebuilding and working to get re-established in the community following domestic or intimate partner violence," she explains.
"We're also engaging with community stakeholders to imagine a space not only for our administrative area but for a number of other community partnerships. We might incorporate health supports, education and training opportunities for women, and ideally and potentially a community space as well."
Re-envisioning the women's shelter to become a facility that enables multiple services is a strategic move going forward for all of Westman.
"We're looking at working with community partners to potentially incorporate spaces like sexual assault examination space, providing a trauma-informed space where individuals who have experienced sexual assault can do and receive the care and the support that they need," she says.
"We're also looking at potentially partnering with our Brandon Police Service and incorporating some space for children who have been victims or witnesses of crime and spaces where they can have the proper support that they need as they are interviewed and make their statements," explains Ruston.
"So, we know that these spaces exist for the most part in Winnipeg and we know that there are people throughout our vast region who are having to travel a long way sometimes to have that kind of support that they need as they go through what can be an incredibly difficult in traumatic time," she adds. "And so, we're just trying to be very considerate and inclusive in some of the potential services that could be included in this space to make sure that we truly are being supportive of and representative to our region."
Ruston notes the pre-development stage is a lengthy process but an important process. "We want to ensure we're engaged with the right partners to create a facility that will meet the needs of our region for years to come."