Nurturing families living in peace.

To provide shelter and community services, guided by Native traditional teachings, to anyone affected by family violence and abuse.

The Awo Taan Native Women’s Shelter Society is a 27-bed, full service emergency shelter that provides services to women and children from all cultures who have suffered from family violence and all forms of abuse.  The shelter operates 24 hours a day, 7 days per week, and is run by a dedicated staff of 33.  There is a minimum of two on-site counselors at the shelter 24 hours a day, and there are emergency counselors on-call 24 hours a day.  Women and children can stay at the shelter for a period of up to three weeks.  If shelter is required beyond the three week period, clients may arrange for an extended stay or are referred to other agencies.  Clients are always presented with other options so they are not left with the only option of returning to the violent or abusive environment from which they left.

Appropriately named “Awo Taan”, which means “shield” in the Blackfoot language, the shelter is blanketed in a unique atmosphere where the traditional wholistic and spiritual teachings of the Aboriginal people’s Medicine Wheel are practiced.  This approach benefits Aboriginal women and their children in helping them through the healing process within the comfort of their community.

The Awo Taan Native Women’s Shelter Society is dedicated to supporting the emotional, mental, physical, and spiritual healing and well-being of women during their time of crisis and beyond.  The shelter offers a full range of in-house crisis and outreach crisis, healing, and prevention programs.  There is also a children’s program to ensure each child’s emotional, mental, physical, and spiritual healing and well-being are supported as well.

The history of the Awo Taan Native Women’s Shelter Society began with a vision.  In 1986, Ruth Scalp Lock and a group of concerned individuals wanted to create a shelter where Aboriginal women and children could seek refuge from family violence and all forms of abuse in a uniquely Aboriginal atmosphere.  The shelter’s mission would be to provide a traditional wholistic and spiritual approach to help Aboriginal women and their children through the healing process with the support of their community.  This approach would include practicing the teachings of the Aboriginal Medicine Wheel, participating in ceremonies such as smudging and healing circles, and receiving Elder counseling and support.  The shelter would also be a place where Aboriginal women could reconnect with their Aboriginal culture and continue their healing journey after they leave the shelter.

The name “Awo Taan” was given to Ruth Scalp Lock by her late grandmother, Margaret Bad Boy of the Siksika Nation.  In a blanket ceremony, Ruth Scalp Lock gave the name “Awo Taan” to the Calgary Native Women’s Shelter, renaming it the Awo Taan Native Women’s Shelter Society.

Ruth organized a dedicated committee made up of members from the Aboriginal community, representatives of the Alberta government, the educational system, police services, and the private sector.  Gerri Many Fingers was instrumental in leading the committee in finding a suitable location for the shelter and for raising the capital needed to build the shelter.  Operating costs were covered by the government and through funds raised from a home lottery.  Nelson Gutnick was a special advisor to the committee, providing mentorship to the committee and assisting in the shelter’s development.  Other members of the committee included:

Marlyne Fraser King
Denis Whitford
Bob Coultier
Joanne Crook
Rachael Hoof Sr.
Rachael Hoof Jr.
Pat Whitney
Elder Annie Bare Shin Bone

During 1993 and 1994, the founders, board of directors, staff and many volunteers from the shelter created a crisis counseling training program that contained a significant amount of Aboriginal content.  This program was designed to train shelter staff and to train Calgary agency staff and the public.  During this time, they also launched the Calgary Head Start program, which was sponsored by Health and Welfare Canada.

On March 10, 1993, an interim shelter was opened in an old apartment building donated by the City of Calgary.  Core operational funding was provided by the Alberta government while capital costs were raised by the Home Lottery.  Two short years later, the Awo Taan Native Women’s Shelter Society moved to its current location in 1995.

In its first decade of operations, the shelter went through many changes, including a name change, evolving visions and missions, and the evolution and expansion of many programs.  All of these changes have been positive and progressive in that they have enabled the shelter to provide more comprehensive services and programs to Aboriginal women and children, and to women and children from other cultures, who suffer from family violence and abuse, and to help them through the healing process with the support of their community.