CHARLOTTETOWN, P.E.I. - The doors to a new women’s shelter in Charlottetown opened Friday night.
At least one woman with nowhere safe to stay was expected to tuck in for the night at Blooming House.
There is room for up to eight women to stay in the shelter each night, which will be open seven days a week from 8 p.m. to 8 a.m.
Co-founder Liz Corney was filled with nervous energy Friday afternoon taking care of final preparations in the house hours before officially opening.
“It’s surreal,’’ she said.
“We are so thankful to the community, our partners and our project team to get this far and we are looking forward to offering support to women in Charlottetown.’’
Corney and fellow co-founder Brynn Devine secured rent-free use of a home until the end of April, but the pair are pursuing a long-term plan.
Blooming House is the first women’s shelter in Charlottetown, excluding Anderson’s House, to open since Grandmother’s House closed in 2012. Anderson’s House is is a provincial emergency shelter for women and children in need of safety because of violence in their lives.
The province is providing $60,000 in seed funding to Blooming House through its Housing Action Plan. Blooming House has received an influx of donations, helping to comfortably furnish the comfortable home.
However, financial assistance and donations of toiletries can be made by contacting Blooming House via email at [email protected].
Four full-time staff and a shelter co-ordinator have been hired.
Corney and Devine do not want to publicize the location of Blooming House, noting they will largely rely on community and government services to get the word out about the shelter.
To reserve a bed for the night, calls can be made to 902-482-0680 between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. Calls can also be made between 8 p.m. and 8 a.m. at 902-367-0848 to see if space is available.
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