The Talitha Koum Society shelters marginalized women and their children, irrespective of age, race, or religion in safe nurturing Metro Vancouver homes. The Society serves as a recovery house for women who have a history of conflict with the law and come from broken families where addictions and violence are rampant. Entering it’s 14th year of continuous operations, Talitha Koum runs an abstinence-based program which boasts a 45% success rate. Over 50% of our residents are of Aboriginal descent. Talitha Koum is run by women, for women and is a proud member of the Canadian Association of Residential Options for Criminal Women. We are currently operating two homes in the Metro Vancouver area: At our first stage home, the women are learning the basics of staying clean and complete the 12-step work that has proven successful for many other organizations such as Alcoholics Anonymous. The recovery program also includes conflict resolution, anger management, non-violent communications, Bible study and Native Spirituality. Our second stage home is specifically accommodating women and their children who have completed the first stage house principles and have taken parenting skills. Talitha Koum believes in a one on one approach to recovery, caring for each woman as an individual, tailoring programs designed for their specific needs. Foundational skills for healthy community living are learned, with topics ranging from financial literacy to nutrition to parenting to self-care. The Society provides real homes for women rather than just another institution. It is a place for the women and their children to feel safe, comfortable and experience a normal daily routine lifestyle necessary in reintegrating back into society through building a sense of self-worth and dignity. More importantly, they can rely on each other for support as they understand one another’s circumstances and can focus on working towards the common goal of healing and recovery.