1987 by Diana Mahabir-Wyatt opened The Samaan Shelter, one of the earliest shelters for female victims of domestic violence and their children, the name was later changed to The Shelter. We provide a safe haven for victims of domestic violence and their children. Over the years our property became dilapidated, and in serious need of repair. To ensure the physical safety of our residents we had no option but to close our doors 3 years ago.
Architects Maureen Legge and Colvin Chen volunteered their expertise and designed the complete renovation of the building. The first phase of the renovation was The Samantha Isaacs Learning Centre which was completed through the kind support of the Australian High Commission and Digicel. The second phase, which was more extensive, was supported by many kind benefactors including Republic Bank Limited. This phase was halted twice due to COVID-19 restrictions, thus delaying the reopening of The Shelter.
The renovation of The Shelter has taken much longer than anticipated. It’s been 5 years since the previous chairman of The Shelter Mr. Anthony Inglefield started the conversation of renovation, to the completion under the present Chairman Mr. John Scott Hamilton. The building can now comfortably house 21 residents and consists of bedrooms with ensuite bathrooms, a counselling room, a tv/play room, living/dining room, kitchen, the Samantha Isaacs Learning Centre, which includes a library, an area for art therapy and a computer centre, an outdoor play area for the children and administrative offices.
We could never have achieved this without the support of our benefactors to whom we will always be eternally grateful.
The Shelter can once more offer a safe haven where we can continue the steps needed for our residents personal healing and growth.
Some of the services we offer are:
- Medical care
- Therapeutic counselling
- School placement for the children of residents
- Skill set training
- Legal support
- Assistance with housing
- Assistance with dealing with all social service agencies
Our primary focus has been and will continue to be the holistic healing and preparation for a safe, financially secure life for our residents.
There are 7 non-government registered shelters in the country, for the last few years 3 have been closed, mainly due to the lack of financial support. With our renovation completed our real work of making a positive difference continues. One in three women in our country has been exposed to Domestic Violence at some level. Help us to Help them. To support us financially you can go to:
Donations: https://donate.tegotv.com/to/the-shelter-for-battered-women-and-children-donation/ or credit our account directly at Republic Bank Limited, Park Street, Chequing Account # 1802 456 470 01
We can also be contacted through our:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TrinidadShelter
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/trinidadshelter/
Website: https://trinidadshelter.com/
Email: [email protected], or [email protected]