‘It’s a good place’
Jane Paul Mi’kmaq Women’s Resource Centre receives much-needed provincial funding
Jeanette Francis says the Jane Paul Mi’kmaq Women’s Resource Centre is a good place that helps a lot of women.
The 39-year-old originally from Eskasoni and currently living in Sydney is taking part in the centre’s pre-employment program. In a few weeks, she’ll be going on a work placement to the Ally Centre of Cape Breton. But, in the longer term, through her time at the centre, she’s developed an interest in pursuing a two-year food inspector course.
“I’m willing to do that two years, I’m not getting any younger, I’m just trying to do something where I won’t have to do too much work like lifting, stuff like that.”
When the mother of five moved to Sydney about a year ago, a friend told her about the then newly opened centre.
The Jane Paul Centre is a project
of the Nova Scotia Native Women’s Association. It helps vulnerable women in the community with needed supports
such as the pre-employment program, harm reduction, a clothing bank and a drop-in centre where they can feel safe and welcome.
“It’s somewhere to go, you can’t be just walking around, wandering around Sydney, there’s got to be somewhere to go,” Francis said.
“It’s a good place, it helps a lot of girls.”
With a $40,0000 provincial grant announced Tuesday, Heidi Marshall, senior consultant with the Nova Scotia Native Women’s Association, said the George Street centre will be able to keep on two part-time staff and hopefully perform more outreach work.
“The winter has really brought out a lot of people and we’re hoping with the extra money, we may be able to have a little bit more hours, maybe open on a Saturday,” Marshall said.
“It will keep our doors open to do some more navigational support and some outreach supports.”
Joanne Bernard, Minister responsible for the Status of Women, was in Sydney to announce the grant. She said her department has worked closely with the Nova Scotia Native Women’s Association.
“They saw a need and they filled it and grassroots organizations that see the needs of people who are on the ground, struggling in communities, that’s when the work gets done, that’s when there’s success,” Bernard said.
Usually, the centre sees about 20 women each week, ranking from those who just drop in periodically for short periods of time to others who spend more time there, using its computers or taking part in the range of programming it offers.
“There’s more out there, from my understanding, and I’d like to try to do some street outreach to try to get some of the women here that need to be here that we’re not getting still,” Marshall said.
She noted that while it does support women who have performed sex work or have had drug issues, the centre is there for women from a wide range of backgrounds.
“We’re here for all women, high-risk can be high-risk of anything,” Marshall said, adding they are looking to form more partnerships with other groups, and she is currently writing more funding proposals.
In December, the centre was renamed in honour of Jane Paul, a 33-year-old mother of three from Eskasoni who died last March. At the time of her death, she was a strong advocate for the centre and played an important role in encouraging women to access it.
The women’s association opened the centre without having any funding in place and then set about developing programs to serve a vulnerable population that were designed to directly meet the women’s needs and it was largely dependent on donations and volunteers. The chiefs of the island’s Mi’kmaq communities stepped up and provided the necessary funds to cover the rent.
The centre doesn’t have any core funding, with all funding being program-based.
Now that the centre has been open for some time, Marshall said it is easier to track the women who use its services — if they aren’t seen for several days at a time it can be easier to find them to ensure they are safe.
The Jane Paul Mi’kmaq Women’s Resource Center is located at 440 George St., Sydney.