What we do

Piwapan Women’s Shelter offers a place of safety and support for women and their children who are unable to remain in their homes due to violence.

Staff are available 24/7, 365 days a year and will provide support and safe shelter for women and their children.  Women who stay at our shelter will be provided with healthy, balanced meals,  emergency supplies of clothing, transportation to and from appointments and practical assistance in re-establishing in the community. 

We offer referrals to other community agencies and organizations and can advocate on your behalf. 

We provide educational programming on the topics of the cycle of violence, personal safety plans, parenting, effects of violence on children, addictions, self-esteem, anger management, goal setting, stress reduction and budgeting, as well as information on legal rights, social assistance, education, job training and community resources.

We are licensed for females 16 years of age and above and their accompanying children who are fleeing domestic violence.

Shelter referral form

We are northerners supporting northerners. Staff have received training in suicide prevention, mental health supports, grief resolution, and trauma-informed care. They will listen without judgement.

All calls remain anonymous and confidential with the exception of duty to report situations.

We are available 24 hours per day, 7 days a week, 365 days per year.

We can be there for you while you are going through many situations such as:

• considering suicide or violence because of:
  • feeling overwhelmed with being a parent.
  • feeling frustrated or angry at loved ones.
• trying not to self-harm
• trying not to give in to an addiction
• feeling like no one understands or is listening
• dealing with grief from loss and trauma
• looking for resources to help themselves or help others.

We provide empathy, time, and compassion. Empathy in that we will listen and not judge your thoughts or feelings. Time in that we are always awake and expect each call to take several minutes. Compassion in that, if you want, we can help you find longer term solutions for healing and connect you with resources. Crisis Line Number: 1 (306) 425-4090 We will accept collect calls.

We recognize that trauma has been passed down for generations to many people within our communities. We will help communities within our region to assess their strengths and needs, develop action plans, and help coordinate the implementation, training, and continued evaluation of those plans.

We will work with community leadership to prepare for crisis situations while remaining focused on prevention. By working together, we can develop clear pathways that work for your community to access services and training. We help with research, organization, planning, and development with our community-driven program. Your community will be involved in every step, and you have the final approval.

Crisis Intervention Pamphlet

• Piwapan Women’s Centre offers trained facilitators to coordinate a multi-agency support circle for women worried about their physical or emotional safety because of family violence. Participation is voluntary and the woman is a key decision maker.
• This program has been successfully helping at-risk women for over 10 years in Prince Edward Island. The Circle of Safety process was developed through Justice Options for women and carried out by the Family Violence Outreach Program in Prince Edward Island. Due to the success, Women’s Shelter Canada selected Piwapan Women’s Centre as one of their participants in a pilot project to implement Circle of Safety throughout Canada.
• Through PATHS and Women Shelters Canada, Piwapan Women’s Centre was selected to be part of a pilot project-the Circle of Safety. Piwapan is one of three shelters in Canada to be selected.

Circle of Safety Pamphlet.

“Sapohtewin” means moving forward in the Cree language.

Sapohtewin second stage housing program is a low-cost, supportive housing solution for individuals leaving domestic violence who wish to live a healthy and positive lifestyle, free of violence.

Our housing complex is fully fenced and consists of 4 furnished self-contained suites which are monitored 24/7 by security cameras. Our units include free laundry facilities and an outdoor children’s play area.

Support, individualized case planning, safety planning, educational programming, and advocacy are available through our outreach services. Individuals have the opportunity to work together to create a supportive environment, a sense of community and belonging, along with educational programming to develop and enhance skills that will empower individuals on their journey forward.

Clients are able to stay up to 18 months.

Domestic Violence Program – In Collaboration with the La Ronge Domestic Violence Committee and HUB the Domestic Violence Coordinator works with families living in the regions of Hall Lake, Sucker River, and Weyakwin to provide programming focused on reducing interpersonal violence. We aim to fill in the “gaps” identified by clients with a holistic approach, while providing tools to make healthy life choices, learn to form healthy relationships and ultimately reducing involvement in the criminal justice system.

The Sexual Assault Program is a comprehensive service that assists women, men, and LGBTQ2S, who are victims/survivors of sexual violence. ​ The program provides information, support, advocacy, referrals and both short- and long-term counselling for clients. The sexual assault worker will, upon request by the client, go with the client to the police station, hospital, and courts.

Together with our community partners, we work to meet the medical, emotional, social, forensic, and legal needs of individuals who have suffered the consequences of sexual violence.

Through our work with SASS, Piwapan is also involved in the Sexual Assault Investigations Review Committee- F Division. SAIRC reviews will become an important extension to the sexual assault investigations process, ensuring RCMP investigations are thorough, impartial, and properly classified.

The Committee’s mandate is to:

• Make case-specific recommendations which could lead to the file being re-classified and/or the re-opening/taking further investigative actions for cases determined to have deficiencies that may impact the outcome of the investigation; and,
• Make broad-based recommendations to improve the RCMP’s response to complaints of sexual assault and enhance RCMP policies, procedures, and training.

Working collaboratively with subject matter experts will help the RCMP develop a victim-centered response to sexual assault crimes, improve the quality of investigations and enhance community confidence and trust in the investigation of sexual assault offences.

The Youth Empowerment Program is offered through our Family Violence Outreach Program and assists youth in becoming familiar with their community and establishing strong supportive social networks. We achieve this through diverse programs, including providing practical information on life skills education, cross-cultural workshops, and recreation. These programs empower the youth with knowledge and skills to help create positive change in their lives and their communities.

Women’s Shelter Services

Piwapan Women’s Shelter has provisions to provide services to young women (16- and 17-year-olds) that are experiencing violence.