As you are probably aware, Logifem opened its doors for the first time in December 1988, which means that this year we are celebrating our 30th birthday! What a great opportunity to look back over the last three decades to see how our services have evolved and to look forwards as we plan for the next decade.
Although we are happy to be celebrating our anniversary milestone, it is disappointing that the need for services like Logifem is as present as ever. Downtown women’s shelters report having to turn away 20-30 women per day and the waiting list for places at Logifem grows every week.
The Board of Directors of Logifem recently met with our case workers and senior staff to talk about ways in which we could expand our services to build upon the strengths we developed as an organisation. One area we have invested in over the last six years is our services for women with children. Although there are a number of conjugal violence shelters in Montreal that accept children, there are few spaces in shelters for women with children experiencing other kinds of difficulties. We continue to think about how we can improve our services for these families at a critical time in their lives.
Recognizing that for our residents the transition to life beyond Logifem can be a fragile time, we are also thinking about how we can improve our post shelter services and accompaniment.
We couldn’t have arrived at our 30th birthday without the generosity of our supporters. Thank you for all that you do for Logifem. We hope to see you at our anniversary events in December!
Sally Richmond
Executive Director
