RE Royalties is pleased to share that we have donated $25,000 to Atira Women’s Resource Society, a not-for-profit organization committed to the work of ending violence against women.
Our corporate donation will be used to support the Legal Advocacy Program, which helps low-income women in the Downtown Eastside obtain free legal advocacy in a safe and confidential, women’s only space.
Atira has a staff lawyer who meets with women and provides services such as legal counsel, advice, advocacy, and support concerning issues such as welfare, disability claims, tenant or landlord issues and child and family welfare issues.
The long-term community benefit potential from the Legal Advocacy Program is that women in the Downtown Eastside, who traditionally face multiple barriers to accessing legal advice, can receive information, advocacy, support, and referrals.
Women who would not have equal access to these legal services are able to contact the Legal Advocacy Program located in their own community.
Women in the community continue to access the program in large numbers; the program served approximately 841 women since the start of the 2020 fiscal year. The program benefitted from the services of 21 volunteers, including 2 pro-bono lawyers, and a total of approximately 987 volunteer hours.
Atira's legal advocate and volunteers worked together to close 86 full representation files since the start of the 2020 fiscal year.
Since the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, Atira has seen an increase in violence against women, an increase in overdoses in our communities, and an increase in requests for services and housing.
As Atira was one of the only women’s housing agencies accepting new women during the first wave of the pandemic, they opened a new transition house program and three new supportive housing buildings all before summer of 2020.
RE Royalties' donation will help Atira provide essential services to those who need it most throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.
Giving back, in the form of volunteering, donating to charitable causes, or attending community-led charitable events, is an integral part of the culture at RE Royalties.
We believe in using our strong business model to support organizations with a cause that resonates with us, and supporting women that are fleeing violence is more important than ever during the pandemic.