Safe at Home project in Claresholm nears 1st anniversary

The Safe at Home pilot project is addressing domestic abuse and the different services available to those dealing with it firsthand.

The town of Claresholm is home to a unique program for rural communities.

Rowan House Society is running the Safe at Home project, which helps those dealing with domestic abuse.

After launching nearly a year ago, Claresholm town council got an update on the program earlier this month.

Safe at Home program director Nara Fedozzi said the feedback so far has been positive. She added the location made it the right fit for the program.

“Claresholm is kind of a local, central location between two very busy and big cities, Lethbridge and Calgary,” Fedozzi said.

She said several referrals have come from both of those cities.

The goal of the program is to help treat abusive behaviour. Fedozzi said the strategy is to remove the abuser from the house to address their behaviour while the impacted family members stay in their home.

“The program is up to a year, so we have three phases within our program when clients apply to come to our program,” she added. “There is an intake process, and we do a range of assessments.”