Our services
Accommodations and psychosocial support
La Maison d’hébergement L’Égide has seven (4½ and 3½) furnished and equipped apartments, ready to accommodate women with or without children in a safe, private and welcoming environment.
The moment women arrive at L'Égide, they are warmly and respectfully welcomed and admitted by one of our counsellors. Regular support intervention is then deployed to reduce the stress of change and allow the women to move at their own pace towards breaking the cycle of domestic violence.
We also offer personalized support based on the individual’s needs and steps to be taken (legal, medical, finding accommodations etc.), and we ensure that good references are provided.
Individual follow-ups
Based on their needs and goals, the women in residence are offered weekly meetings with a counsellor. These meetings allow women to understand better the types of violence they have been the victim of as well as to see how it has affected their life and their children's lives. To help structure their meetings and ensure a follow-up that will bring about positive daily changes, an intervention plan is established between her and her counsellor.
Mother-child follow-ups
Mothers and children are supported by counsellors throughout their stay. Children are offered individual follow-ups which are comprised of time to talk and exchange feelings about what they are experiencing. Because the repercussions of violence can manifest in various ways (behavioural problems, depression, low self-esteem, anxiety, etc.), their counsellor works with them at all levels of development: emotional, physical, behavioural and social.
Individual follow-ups are also comprised of support for children with difficulties they may face on a daily basis which could be at the shelter, with their family, at school or elsewhere. Finally, the counsellor supports mothers in their daily interactions with their children and suggests activities that will encourage positive relations between them. These moments are greatly appreciated by everyone because they make it possible to create happy moments together.
Group workshops
Each week, residents must attend group meetings in order to work on regaining power through self-esteem, parenting, self-confidence. These special moments, with or without children, provide mutual aid, listening, assertiveness in a respectful, non-judgmental environment. Whether outdoors (yoga, walks, picnics, water games) or inside (creative workbooks, painting, bingo), the workshops led by our counsellors allow women to develop and acquire tools for a life without violence.
Post-accommodation meetings (External)
When they leave L'Égide, those who wish to do so, can continue having meetings externally with our counsellors. This way, they are supported in their initiatives and benefit from follow-ups on the work they started during their stay at L'Égide.
Counsellors at L'Égide are available to listen to you with empathy and openness and non-judgement.
Request housing accommodations at La Maison L'Égide
During your stay at an emergency shelter you can submit a request for housing accommodations at La Maison L'Égide with the help of an in-house counsellor.
Criteria for admission
- Be 18 years of age or older and ready to commit to a process of change;
- Have been living in a shelter for women who are victims of conjugal violence for at least three weeks and have a written referral from this shelter;
- Experiencing a problem of domestic violence and working towards no longer being a victim;
- Needing a high level of security and clinical follow-ups in post-separation conjugal violence;
- Have undertaken a committed step towards a way of life that is autonomous and nonviolent;
- Have a stable income to ensure the ability to pay rent (last-resort assistance, employment insurance, work compensation, work income, CSST). Attach proof of income to housing request;
- Have legal status in Canada or be in the process of acceptance;
- Consent freely to live in a second stage shelter for women and their children who are victims of conjugal violence and respect the rules at La Maison L’Égide;
Testimonials
Project XOX
Project XOX promotes healthy intimate relationships among adolescents. This innovative project for prevention and awareness was created in 2016 thanks to the involvement of several committed partners who specialize in the youths’ well-being: La Maison d'hébergement L'Égide (2nd stage housing), the Régie intermunicipale de police Roussillon, the Service de police de Châteauguay and the Montérégie Centre d'aide aux victimes d'actes criminels (CAVAC).
How does project XOX interact with youth?
Project XOX is presented in high schools by an animator and a community police officer. The goal of this project is to make young people aware of the cycle of violence and have healthy relationships from their first romantic experiences while providing them with concrete tools. Secondary IV students are invited to live an interactive virtual experience on an electronic tablet, personifying the victim, the witness and the perpetrator at the same time. Immersed into a fictitious world that can be related to their reality, encourages them to think, make choices and take actions at different times during the viewing. The workshop provokes reactions, reflections and good discussions on the subject of domestic violence.
For L’Égide, it is essential to be at the heart of awareness-raising for young people, leaders and the general population.
The Project XOX is now available for export to other resources across the province of Quebec.
To contact the project coordinator or for further information:
Telephone : 450-619-9000
E-mail : projetxox@gmail.com
