We are pleased to announce two additions to our dynamic and committed team.
Front line workers play a pivotal role in empowering and supporting survivors who decide to leave abusive intimate relationships. The Support Worker at BWSS provides direct services; systems based information, crisis intervention, safety planning, advocacy, court accompaniment and referrals to survivors of violence in intimate relationships and/or criminal harassment. Our Victim Services Workers provide 100 appointments a month with 30–50 new intakes every week.
We congratulate Ileah Snell who will join our staff in the position of Women’s Support Worker. Ileah has been part of BWSS since 2016 in different capacities, she started as a facilitator as part of the Youth Ending Violence program, then moved on to working as a Crisis Line and Intake volunteer and has also co-facilitated our support group at the Downtown Eastside Women’s Centre. Ileah is dedicated to ending gender based violence and supporting survivors of violence. As the Women’s Support Worker at BWSS she focuses on supporting survivors through their empowerment process so that they may heal, grow, and be safe.
We are thrilled that Brooklyn Fowler has accepted the position of Transitions Service Coordinator. In an effort to address the lack of supports for women wanting to reduce their reliance on sex economies, BWSS Transitions program supports those who are wishing to transition, retire or exit from sex economies. To date, Transitions has supported 50 women on their journey, through counselling, one-on-one support that is tailored to participants needs, specialized workshops on the topics of self-discovery, goal setting, capacity building, individual exploration -participants have the opportunity to develop short-term and long-term goals which includes defining action steps, and financial literacy and pre-employment support as well as continuity of care during new employment.
Brooklyn holds a Master of Arts degree from SFU’s Department of Gender, Sexuality, and Women’s Studies. They completed their undergraduate studies in International Studies with an extended minor in Gender, Sexuality, and Women’s Studies. Brooklyn has a background in social justice activism, and has worked as an advocate for the rights, safety, and success of women working in sex economies. They are an avid hiker, a cyclist, a writer, and amateur vocalist.
