Some of the children who come to stay at Crossroads for Women call it a hotel or summer camp, but it’s a sanctuary for those who come to escape domestic abuse. “What I often hear about our services is, they are wonderful, it’s just so unfortunate that we need them. But that’s why we’re here,” said Renée Charron, the executive director of Crossroads. Crossroads for Women is a 41-bed emergency shelter for women and their children in the southeast New Brunswick area. The organization supports survivors of domestic, sexual or gender-based violence through its temporary shelter, 57 supportive housing units and outreach programs. It also provides crisis intervention 24 hours a day, seven days a week, throughout the region. “There is a huge demand for our services which is why we’re also growing, not only in capacity with our beds and our supportive housing units, but also adapting to the needs of the community,” said Charron. It began in 1980 when a group of women went to see a documentary at the Université de Moncton. “And that’s when they realized really that domestic violence is in every community and they wanted to do something about it. They got together, they went to the city, came up with a deal and got a building on Archibald Street that had four bedrooms,” said Charron. Charron said the group opened their doors on June 21, 1981, and got their first client one week later. Since then, they have served and provided a safe place for over 10,000 women and children at their transition house. They are currently operating at capacity and Charron said there’s always been a need in the community. “The population has grown, which has been a huge factor. With the more people that we have, the more our services are going to be needed,” she said. There are also new types of violence present in the last few decades that weren’t a factor when the original group started Crossroads in the early 1980s. “When we look at online harm, online harassment, online bullying and now even with AI [artificial intelligence] and deepfakes. There are new forms of violence, so we are forever adapting and innovating however we need to,” said Charron. Crossroads marks 45th anniversary To celebrate its 45th anniversary, Crossroads has launched a fundraising campaign asking community members to donate $45 in honour of each year of service. The goal is to raise $10,000 with every dollar going toward programs and services to support survivors for another 45 years. In a news release announcing the fundraising campaign, an anonymous survivor said she tried to leave her abusive home with her kids years ago. “But I couldn’t afford my own place, and I wasn’t aware of the available resources like Crossroads. At the shelter, we are provided with everything we could ever need - free of charge.” Crossroads for Women Board President Lisa Paschal said in a news release the organization has filled a critical need for survivors of domestic and gender-based violence in southeast New Brunswick. “With a growing community and expanded services, that need is greater than ever,” said Paschal. “By contributing $45 to Crossroads’ 45th Anniversary Campaign, you’ll help these survivors and their children build lives free from violence.” Charron said before the COVID-19 pandemic women usually stayed for about 30 days because the organization could find affordable housing within that time frame. “Now because of the housing crisis we’re seeing survivors stay with us a lot longer,” said Charron. “I would say on an average of four months, which of course means that the beds are taken up for a longer period of time, which means less people have access to that bed, which is why Crossroads is looking into increasing its supportive housing capacity.” Donations can be made on the Crossroads website. For more New Brunswick news, visit our dedicated provincial page.
