Empowering people who’ve experienced family violence with the space, supports and skills to imagine and create a better life — this is the mission at Discovery House. For more than 45 years, Discovery House has been supporting families as they start a new chapter. Now, the organization is working towards upgrading its spaces and resources to ensure ongoing support for the families it serves.
Expanding care
In 2004, Discovery House opened its second-stage shelter — transitional housing for families that serves as the next step in their journey after staying in an emergency shelter. The building is unmarked and equipped with 24-hour security, counselling spaces, cultural healing spaces and more. Over the past two decades, the shelter has helped thousands of families get back on their feet.
For the past year, Discovery House has been working towards upgrading and modernizing the shelter so it can better serve Calgarians in need. Some of the additions to the units include accessibility features for those with limited mobility, such as those using aides like wheelchairs.
To support the upgrades to the second-stage shelter, Discovery House launched the $10 million Rebuilding Futures campaign. Donations made to this campaign go towards completing renovations on the remaining 12 units in the building, an art therapy room, counselling rooms and other communal spaces for mothers and their children. The second-stage shelter also offers various programs and services to empower the families healing at Discovery House, which will be backed by the campaign funds.
Shaping a better Calgary
By helping families in their time of need, Discovery House hopes to stop the cycle that stems from the trauma of domestic violence. A crucial part of that is offering safe housing where mothers and their children can access supportive services and programs to help them grow and recover.
Janeen and Gary Nissen are longtime supporters of Discovery House, and now, generous donors to the Rebuilding Futures campaign. They believe Discovery House’s work helps make Calgary a safer city, and the new shelter upgrades and programs will help amplify that work.
“The strength of the city has a great deal to do with whether families can build a safe, stable environment,” affirms Janeen. Programs and spaces such as Discovery House’s second-shelter help put families on track to do just that.
Supported by Calgarians
Every dollar donated to Discovery House translates to reduced costs in public services like health care, judicial fees and social services. Janeen serves on Discovery House’s board of directors and has seen first hand the impact of how these donations help the organization support Calgarians.
“I have seen now on multiple levels [Discovery House’s] commitment to giving families a safe place to land and giving them wraparound support to help them work through what comes next,” she says.
Community impact and generosity are central to uplifting programs like Discovery House’s second-stage shelter, and in turn, the city.
“It is our hope that our commitment will encourage other Calgarians to become a part of this work,” says Janeen. “It’s vital work, and these are Calgary families. These kids are growing up alongside our kids, and we believe that a strong city is made of strong families.”
You can support Discovery House and the Rebuilding Futures campaign by making a donation at discoveryhouse.ca/rebuild
This content was produced for the advertiser by RedPoint Media for commercial purposes. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Avenue staff.
