An Overflow of support

Crescentwood

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 01/11/2023 (775 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Support regularly flows to victims of human trafficking thanks to the efforts of Shona Stewart, founder and executive director of The Overflow, a used clothing store located at 1-433 River Ave.

“We may have been trafficked, but we are still human,” said Shona, who was formerly exploited but now helps others.

By selling quality, donated women’s clothing and accessories, The Overflow funds the programming of Setting the Captives Free Services, which include counselling, support groups for anxiety or addictions, trauma wellness programs, and art classes run out of The Overflow. Shona said the programming is “designed to help women build a toolbelt to use for daily survival.”

As someone who was trafficked at a young age Shona knows what it can do to a person. Public Safety Canada says, “sex traffickers can coerce victims into providing sexual services by force or through threats, including mental and emotional abuse and manipulation.”

Vulnerable, homeless girls and women often succumb to trafficking as their only means of survival. Those living in poverty and suffering the trauma of childhood abuse, those aging out of CFS with no support and incarcerated women who leave prison with only the streets as their option, as well as victims of domestic abuse and those fearful of overcrowded, unsafe shelters make up the majority of women helped by the work of The Overflow and STCF Services.

“Pimps can spot an abused young girl a mile away and often wait at schoolyards to lure them; all too many are lured via social media,” Shona said.

Sadly, trafficking is usually under-reported, as victims fear the consequences of pressing charges. Equally tragic is that police are often not trauma-informed, Shona said.

Incorporating her lived experience with her studies and research, Shona wrote a position paper on domestic trafficking for the Canadian National Coalition of Experiential Women and has been a guest speaker in her efforts to educate the public about the harmful consequences of human trafficking. Those consequences include addictions, PTSD, and missing and murdered women and girls.

Shona’s volunteers at The Overflow are a friendly mix of retirees, stay-at-home moms, refugees, newcomers, students, program participants and those looking to build their resumes by volunteering. The Joy Smith Foundation has also been a valuable resource for The Overflow. It works diligently to provide information so that every Canadian man, woman, and child is educated and empowered to stay safe from manipulation, force, or abuse of power designed to lure and exploit them into the sex trade or forced labour.

Open since April this year, The Overflow has a growing clientele looking for everything from vintage clothing to name brands, business casual to dress-up and wedding outfits. It is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays, and on Saturdays. On Friday, it’s open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.

To donate quality clothes and accessories or to volunteer, contact Shona at 204-930-1282 or shona@stcf.ca. Monetary donations can be made through CanadaHelps.org

You can learn more about Setting the Captives Free Services at www.stcf.ca