From Past to Present

A Brief History

Founded in 1983 by committed women, Maison Interlude House has always put women victims of domestic violence and their children at the heart of its development. Thanks to these feminist pioneers, the organization has been supporting women for over 40 years. At the time, violence against women was a taboo subject. For elected officials in our region, it was inconceivable that women would be mistreated in our community. Our pioneers had to fight against a lot of preconceived ideas, and had to raise awareness via the local newspapers.

When the shelter finally opened, on its very first night of operation, a woman knocked on the door. This lady was carrying newspaper clippings about the creation of Maison Interlude House. This very first client was eagerly awaiting the opening of the house so she could finally leave an abusive relationship. A relationship that had lasted for decades.
 

Today

In its early days, MIH operated only an emergency shelter in Hawkesbury. But since 2003, MIH has become a multiservice agency to better meet women's needs. While MIH's initial service territory was limited to Prescott and Russell, our mandate has expanded to include outreach services in Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry counties.

All MIH services are free, confidential and offered in French & English.

On average, each year, Maison Interlude House:

• Houses 50 women and children
• Supports 600 women and 100 children through outreach services
• Assists 250 women through the Transitional and Housing Support Program
• Offers over 500 matches for transportation and babysitting through the Main dans la Main network
• Holds several support and development groups
• Receives over 1,000 crisis line calls and over 4,000 information calls
• Responds to over 2,000 text and chat messages
• Educates 1,000 people to the problem of violence through community and school awareness and education activities.