SSWC Office Ad Hoc Committee
September Update

Firstly, thank you to our community of volunteers and supporters who have stepped forward to offer
encouragement as we look at our options with respect to the future home for our Centre (as the
building we lease has been identified for sale within the next few years by the Town of Lunenburg).

Some concerns were raised following our announcement in July that we may shut down and we wish to
assure everyone that this is not one of the options on the table. Second Story Women’s Centre has
served women and gender-oppressed peoples in Lunenburg and Queens Counties for almost 40 years
and it is our full intention to continue for many more.

Since our last update, we have been advised that the Town of Lunenburg has agreed to a renegotiation
of our lease for two more years with an increase in rent and utility costs. We appreciate this additional
time which will allow us to thoughtfully evaluate the way forward and to increase fundraising events
within our community over the next months to offset this budget increase.

• Internally, we continue to build and refine our needs assessment - identifying our needs and the needs of our clients and how best to meet them going forward;
  
• develop a cost/benefit analysis for each option being considered - identifying costing and other implications based on each option open to us.
  
• Provide regular updates to our clients, volunteers, supporters, staff, and board on our progress.

Please be assured, that once we have identified the direction we wish to proceed in with respect to our
location, we will reach out to our supporters. Should you have any further questions, please do not
hesitate to contact me or our Executive Director, Rhonda Lemire, through our main office.

Sincerely and with thanks,
Janice Bower
Chair, Office Ad Hoc Committee/
Board Finance Officer

Great news if you are without a doctor in NS and on the Family Practice Registry! You can now use Virtual Care NS to see a doctor. Previously, you required an invitation from the province to use this service. For more information and to register for Virtual Care NS, visit the Virtual Care NS website.

To participate in Virtual Care NS, you need to:

• Be on the Need a Family Practice Registry
• Have a valid Nova Scotia Health Card number,
• Be able to access the internet through a computer or mobile device,
• Have an e-mail address, and
• Be located within the province when accessing Virtual Care NS.

Today is National Grief Awareness Day. We would like to share some resources from our Mental Health and Wellness Resources page to help support someone experiencing grief and let you know about a new grief support group coming to Second Story Women's Centre this Fall.

Halifax Hospice - Free Counselling and Programming

• Up to four free sessions of one-on-one grief counselling. Available to any adult in NS, via phone, online or in-person (if vaccinated). Do not need to have used the Hospice services to access counselling.
• A variety of support groups, such as virtual, in-person, 'On The Go' (while walking through Point Pleasant Park). All free, all available to any adult in NS. (Please note their in-person and On the Go groups meet in Halifax, but folks from outside HRM are welcome!)
• An 8-week closed counselling-style bereavement group starting up in October 2022.

South Shore Hospice Palliative Care Society often has programming to support folks in our community who have recently lost or are preparing to lose a loved one. Join their e-newsletter list or follow their Facebook to learn when the next Death Cafe or Cooking for Care session is coming up next!

We love this! The Legal Information Society of Nova Scotia (LISNS) is offering two FREE virtual workplace gender inclusion training sessions this month that you can sign up for now!

Tuesday, August 16th 1-3pm or Thursday, August 25th 1-3pm via Zoom.

This workshop will walk you through 'Moving Beyond The Binary', LISNS new resource filled with a wealth of useful information on meaningfully including gender diverse people at work, and many other supports and resources. This workshop will leave you with actionable steps you can take to move in the direction of inclusivity!

Sign up for the free virtual training sessions here. (If you’re interested but one of these dates doesn’t fit your schedule, you can reach out to Shila LeBlanc at shila@legalinfo.org to arrange a time that works for you or your organization.)

View the 'Moving Beyond the Binary' resources (videos, policy templates, social media content, and more) at https://www.legalinfo.org/moving-beyond-the-binary/guide

 Neighbours, Friends and Family Campaign
This is a public education campaign to raise awareness of the signs of domestic violence so that people close to an at-risk woman or an abusive man can help. It was first developed by the Centre for Research and Education on Violence Against Women and Children at Western University, and has been adapted by the NS Advisory Council on the Status of Women and the NS Legal Information Society specifically for Nova Scotians.

The NFF Campaign is a series of brochures and videos that can be easily shared on social media. Topics include 'How to help someone with an abusive partner,' 'How to talk to someone who is abusive' safety planning, 'How to spot the signs of domestic violence' and more. We encourage everyone to take a look and, if possible, share these resources to help increase the understanding of the part we all must play in ending domestic violence.

July 30 is the United Nations World Day Against Trafficking in Persons. The theme this year is 'Use and Abuse of Technology,' in order to spread awareness about how technology is a tool that can both enable and impede human trafficking. Learn more about this year's theme.  

Sadly, Nova Scotia has some of the highest rates of Human Trafficking in Canada. This is something that is happening in our communities and greatly affects many of our neighbours. We encourage you to learn more about trafficking and exploitation in Nova Scotia. Second Story is a member of TESS NS - Trafficking and Exploitation Systems Services. The TESS website has a wealth of information and resources, including:

• Risk Factors and Warning signs
• Free online learning module 'Understanding the Sexual Exploitation of Youth: An Introduction'
• Tips for talking to youth 
• A detailed list of contacts for more information and/or support
• the TESS Blog, which includes first person accounts of their experiences, a 'jargon' guide for parents and the findings of  their recent consultations with survivors.