Women’s Shelters Canada (WSC) has launched a new national awareness campaign illustrating how violence against women (VAW) shelters and transition houses are 'More Than' just shelters.  

The campaign is both for women who may be experiencing abuse and those who may know someone experiencing violence. It details how VAW shelters and transition houses offer services beyond an essential safe bed to sleep in, such as counselling, safety planning, and children’s programming. 

“We kept revisiting this insight that sadly all women share in terms of the lengths we go to just get home safely. But it really struck an emotional chord when we considered all of those women who don’t even feel safe once they get home,” said Nellie Kim, Partner, VP, executive creative director of lg2, the agency responsible for the campaign. “And we hope this will help those in need and really resonate with those who want to help anyone who is experiencing violence.” 

“This national awareness campaign is so important, especially as we continue to weather the covid-19 pandemic and are seeing increasing rates of gender-based violence,” said Lise Martin, WSC’s executive director. “Many people don’t realise that you don’t have to move into a shelter or transition house in order to receive services. You can call one for advice, safety planning, and counselling even if you’re not sure if you’re in an abusive relationship.”

The campaign directs viewers to ShelterSafe.ca, WSC’s national online directory of VAW shelters that enables women to quickly connect to their local shelter via an interactive map.

Featuring informational content across social media, broadcast and connected television, radio, and out-of-home placements, as the campaign rolls into Spring, WSC will be giving individual shelters, along with provincial and territorial shelter associations, the opportunity to customize some of the campaign assets for their own marketing and awareness-raising needs.

At the forefront of the multi-platform initiative is the release of a 60-second PSA that highlights the lengths every woman goes through to simply get home safely. However, the PSA switches to a thought-provoking conclusion that asks viewers to imagine how it would feel if you didn’t even feel safe once inside your home.