Ribbon cut on women’s transitional housing project 20 years in the making

34 new transitional housing units will be available in Prince George for mothers and their children later this summer.

A ribbon cutting and grand opening of the Harmony House on Union Street was held this afternoon (Wednesday).

According to the province, the building comes equipped with 22 transition beds and 12 second-stage housing units “for women and gender-diverse people who are at risk of, or have experienced, intimate partner violence in Prince George and surrounding area, and their children.”

For Maria Brouwer, the Harmony House’s Manager of Operations, it is a 20-year dream come true.

“At Central Interior Native Health in 2004 I was a registered nurse. I was dealing with patients living on the street, or close to it,” she said. “The foster system had not worked for them. Most of them told me they went through the foster care system, and here they are on the streets using drugs and alcohol.”

“I believed we could change it. Really change it.”

Brouwer said she had been working towards opening the Harmony House since then.

The home is situated on what was formerly the back lot of Trinity United Church on the corner of 5th Avenue and Union Street.

Brouwer is a congregation member at the church, prior to the ribbon cutting Reverend Dr. Bob Fillier recalled meeting with her just days after he started working at Trinity United around eight years ago.

Brouwer hopes and expects women who pass through the home to find people “that help them get their emotional, physical, and mental health back.”

“We have counselors and social workers on board, whatever you need they get,” she said, using health and status cards as tangible example. “Doctors and nurses come to our place to see you and the kids are ok. We are very plugged in to this generous community.”

Seeing the ribbon cut and walking through the home, now weeks before the first people will be able to benefit from it, Brouwer described herself as elated and very emotional.

“These new homes represent fresh starts for women and their children,” said Kelli Paddon, Parliamentary Secretary for Gender Equity, who was also at the ribbon cutting. “The program at Harmony House will provide a safe space and culturally appropriate care so that people leaving intimate partner violence can rebuild their lives in a supportive home.”

The Harmony House will be piloted by the Phoenix Transition Society.

Ninety percent of clients are Indigenous women from remote communities across northern BC.

Through BC Housing, the province contributed $12.4 million dollars to help build the home, and will give the project $709,000 annually.

You can learn more about the Harmony House here.