A local artist is using her talents to raise funds for B.C. Housing and the Victoria Women’s Transition House Society.
After reading an article in the Saanich News that covered a new housing project for women who are fleeing abuse, Teagan Taylor of Little Poet Art felt inspired.
The housing project is four storeys, comprised of 50 apartments of varying sizes and for various purposes. Construction will be complete in 2024.
One of the more important purposes this building serves is providing short-term affordable housing for those immediately fleeing domestic violence, but it also plays a key role in keeping women out of harm’s way by providing longer-term housing.
ALSO READ: 50 units of safe housing coming to the West Shore for women, children fleeing violence
“The second-stage housing, even more so in our current housing market, is so important in the ability to successfully not just leave, but leave and start fresh and build a life,” Taylor said.
When she learned that statistically, it takes victims seven tries to successfully leave abusive situations, she was shocked but acknowledged the reality of how difficult it can be and how integral having access to safe and affordable housing can be in reducing the number of attempts it takes to leave and stay out of abusive situations.
“The statistics also show that the time that women and children are most likely to be harmed and/or killed, is in the process of leaving,” Taylor said.
Having access to safe housing that is longer-term will go a long way in helping women rebuild their lives and heal from their experiences, Taylor said.
She named her collection Trajectory, an ode to how support services can shape the story of someone who has survived intimate partner violence.
“Seeing that article kind of shaped the theory for me and the rest of the work,” she said. “I wanted to keep the work abstracted, a little bit process-based. Because I don’t really work in abstract, there are more forms and shapes than there would be in true abstract, but I wanted all of the pieces to carry the words, which for me were kind of this place between hope, as well as I think, sadness or grief.”
Her art will be available to view in a small works show at the Ministry of Casual Living on Dec.3 and Taylor plans on donating a portion of her proceeds to the transition house.
She hopes her art will spark inspiration in others the way the article sparked inspiration in her.
At the end of the day, the most important thing to take away from this collection Taylor said is the hopeful question: What will this resource do to create a positive trajectory for those women and children and their futures?
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