supporting survivors and working to end violence
We believe…
We believe everyone has a right to safety.
We believe that a world without gendered violence is possible.
What we do…
We provide safe emergency shelter for women and their children as well as drop-in services and prevention education to the Dawson City community. DWS services are free and confidential.
Find out more…
About DWS services, events, workshops and trainings, as well as ending violence in our community.
Dawson Women’s Shelter is a program of the Dawson Shelter Society.
DWS and Confidentiality
Your Privacy is Important to Us
All of Dawson Women’s Shelter’s services are confidential whether on our 24 Hour Support Line, at our emergency shelter, in a workshop, or dropping in to our centre.
We won’t share with other community members or service providers that you have called us, popped by to visit, or are staying with us unless you give us your written permission.
There are certain specific times we must share information:
When someone lets us know a child is being abused or neglected.
When someone lets us know that they intend to seriously harm themselves or someone else.
When our records are subpoenaed by the court.
In the event of a medical emergency.
In the specific cases when we have to share parts of a service user’s story we will let the person know why we have to share information, who we are sharing the information with, and try to give the service user as much power and options as possible: for example, supporting a woman to make a call to Family & Children’s services with an advocate present.
When community members sign up for the DWS newsletter, we will not share their email addresses.
Dss Complaints Policy
The Dawson Shelter Society (DSS) is a not-for-profit Yukon Society that oversees two community programs: the Dawson Women’s Shelter (DWS) and the Healthy Families, Healthy Babies program (HFHB).
The Dawson Shelter Society believes that each service user – a resident at the shelter, caller on the 24 Hour Support Line, a HFHB program participant, a person attending a DWS or HFHB event or workshop – deserves empathetic, kind service where they are the experts of their lives.
If service users or community members have concerns about any Dawson Shelter Society programs or services, we strongly encourage feedback. DSS will take the complaint seriously.
DSS acknowledges that there are significant power differentials between service users (current and former) and DSS staff that may make it challenging for them to bring a complaint forward. All staff are expected to be mindful of this reality and to provide service users who wish to make a complaint with full access to information and support.
Every effort will be made to manage complaints using an informal process.
Informal
An informal complaint can be brought to any DSS staff. The staff will share the Executive Director’s contact information – shetlerdirector@northwestel.ca or 867.993.5086. The person bringing the complaint may not want to bring it to the Executive Director themselves and can ask the staff they spoke with to make the Executive Director aware of their concerns. Staff will ask the person bringing the informal complaint what follow up they would like and ask for their contact information. The person bringing the complaint can choose whether they would like follow up and if they would like to share their contact information.
The complainant will be informed of the option of making a formal complaint if they are unsatisfied with the outcome.
Formal
1. The person(s) making the complaint will contact the Executive Director (ED) and in cases when the complaint is about the Executive Director, the Board President (BP), to inform them that the informal procedure was unsuccessful or not appropriate and that they wish to make a formal complaint. The ED/BP will attempt to resolve the issue over the telephone, by email or in person, and will also speak to the staff to see what steps they have taken to resolve the issue.
2. If this does not resolve the issue, the complaint must be put into writing. The service user/community member can prepare a written complaint on their own or the ED/BP can write it and the complainant will sign it after reading it or having it read to them.
3. The ED/BP will arrange a meeting with the complainant and the staff involved. The complainant may bring a support person to the meeting, but for confidentiality reasons, this cannot be another DSS staff or a current DSS service user.
4. If a successful resolution is reached, the outcome will be documented in writing and provided to the complainant and the staff involved.
5. If a successful resolution did not occur, the matter will be brought to the Board for further discussion and possible action. Information about any possible actions or outcomes from this meeting will be shared with the complainant in a timely manner.
Complaints process based on SACHA’s Complaints Policy
DWS is located in self-governing Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in Territory (Dawson City, Yukon). If you are in Dawson Creek and need support, Mizpah Transition House is the domestic violence shelter in Dawson Creek, BC:
250.782.9176
mizpah@spcrs.ca
sprcrs.ca