Support service agencies, women's shelters and the Brandon Police are seeing an increase in gender-based violence, also known as domestic abuse, in the City of Brandon.
Samaritan House Ministries has multiple programs and supports, including Mary's House, a second-stage women's shelter for women to live, with some services attached to it so they're supported in some capacity.
"These women may feel that they can't, or they're not quite ready to be independent or and they're still working on finding a place to live," shares Executive Director Heather Symbalisty. "So, and they may be on the EIA system or they may also be working and just need that extra support to find housing. They might just need some extra time. So, we will house individuals from one up to about nine months."
Mary's House accommodates four units at an undisclosed location where Samaritan House provides counselling and other services to help women connect with resources to help them deal with the trauma they've experienced, and to become more independent.
"It's not a service that we talk about so much because it is in a non-disclosed location, but it is one that's important to community to be aware of that we do have it in our community," says Symbalisty. "But, yes, we are seeing an increase in the gender-based violence in the community," she adds. "A lot of women are coming through our services. There's not a lot of resources to connect them to the resources that are existing. There are waiting lists for people to get into counseling or other services, or to retain lawyers, and all of the systems are all backlogged."
Personal support systems have been stressed
The added challenge for these women is they're often coming to Mary's House with no family or friend support system, so they don't have anyone to really rely on, says Symbalisty.
"They're coming into our service quite alone and afraid, and so they don't have anyone that they can reach to create community, and community is really important when you're leaving gender-based violence," she explains. "Community is important to recognize that you're not alone and you're not doing those big steps of leaving the situation that you are in."
"It's very traumatic. It changes you as a person. You will never be the same person that you were before you entered into that relationship. And you have to find yourself again. So, when they come in with no support system, that's really, really hard and very lonely. And that's why a lot of women or individuals will go back to their abuser ... up to seven times or more because it is a lonely process. And sometimes they just don't want to go through things by themselves, so they'll go back."
Addictions add to the challenges
Many clients are also navigating challenges related to addiction. A significant number are either in recovery or currently experiencing active addiction. Providing resources that support safe transitions—particularly through harm reduction approaches—is a major challenge for service providers.
In addition to overcoming addiction, many individuals are also engaged in legal battles with their abusers, whether through the court system, Child and Family Services (CFS), or other avenues. These clients are often fighting to regain custody of their children or to prevent them from entering care.
The journey after leaving an abusive and traumatic relationship is incredibly difficult. Many face barriers such as the high cost of legal representation or past complications with accessing legal aid. Despite making progress in their recovery, they may still be judged based on their past, which can hinder their ability to move forward independently.
There is still much work to be done to improve services and support systems for these individuals as they rebuild their lives.
"There is highly noticeable trauma that individuals are coming with, and the children are suffering so much from everything they see, they hear, they see, they pick up on every little thing," says Symbalisty. "So, we are seeing a lot of that coming through Mary's House."
Domestic violence increased substantially during and since the pandemic
Many are struggling with the current economy. People lost their jobs during Covid and never recovered, or they returned to work, but the job isn't secure and they're not able to pay all the bills coming their way. Some are working multiple part-time jobs just to make ends meet. Alcohol and drug use is also on the rise, which contributes to the increase of the gender-based violence. Since 2019, a much higher percentage of the population is feeling heightened stress, mental health concerns, depression and anxiety.
"People are getting into manic episodes where they have never experienced any mental health challenges before," says Symbalisty.
This challenging combination is detrimental to the health and well-being of our families.
"There are just all of those areas that everyone is facing and especially in the gender-based violence situation," adds Symbalisty. "To leave an abusive relationship is difficult and abuse can be physical, emotional, financial, it can be verbal. It can be all those included with physical abuse, or it can be individual."
Are public displays of behavior and anger a reaction to abuse?
Brandon Police reports show an increase in women arrests for drug and alcohol offenses, theft, as well as assault. It's concerning to see this rise in women being arrested on a daily basis for these kinds of offences. But is it a symptom of a systemic problem? Many counsellors would say yes.
"Unfortunately, we are seeing that increase in women's arrests and it's just so heartbreaking to see that women are going down those paths and are making those choices to handle themselves that way," shares Symbalisty. "And some of that stems with their upbringing and what they've seen and experienced, and all of the anger that individuals hold on to due to what they've been through. Unfortunately, it comes out."
"So, we're hoping that as we move forward that we can provide some more group sessions for anger management, so individuals don't feel the need to react like that."
'Mental health and wellness' has been the catch-phrase ever since the pandemic for good reason. Many Manitobans are struggling.
Please listen to more with Heather Symbalisty below.