The severity of domestic violence has increased during the COVID-19 pandemic, and Vernon's Archway Society has had to get creative to help those in need of a safe place to stay.

"For those experiencing abuse, staying home is not an option – staying home is not safe," says co-executive director Micki Materi.

"Isolation is an abuser's best friend," says Materi. "It cuts out that safe time at work or at school."

The situation has been at epidemic levels for years, but the stress of the pandemic has put renewed focus on services for the abused, Materi said Friday, during Gender Equality Week.

Archway, which operates the Vernon women's transition house, also offers support for young parents, stop-the-violence counselling, outreach, and homelessness prevention programs.

One in 10 women was "very or extremely concerned about the possibility of violence in the home" while self-isolating, according to a survey this spring by Statistics Canada.

Shockingly, a woman in Canada is killed by someone she knew intimately every six days.

"Staff continue to support women remotely. Although we cant give something as comforting as a hug, we still are able to use our skills and resources to help women," the organization said in a press release.

Materi notes staff probably aren't seeing the entire picture, as it often takes a long time for a woman to feel safe in leaving an abusive relationship.

She noted community-based victim services cases have increased by 10-15% over the past year. Those cases are ones which involve the police. As well, cases referred to the Interagency Case Assessment Team, which have the highest probability of lethality, have steadily increased.

At any given time, the transition house serves 12-18 women, plus children.

Donations have also declined as businesses struggle during the pandemic. Archway's annual Little Black Dress fundraiser won't be going ahead in its usual format, and has been its largest fundraiser of the year.

If you need a safe place to stay, or someone to speak to, call 250-542-1122 or text 250-540-0656. Anyone facing immediate danger should call 911.

Right next door to the Archway office is the Oak Centre Child and Youth Advocacy Centre.

Manager Brooke McLardy says they offer similar services for children and youths escaping violence or sexual abuse.

They saw a sharp decline in cases during the height of the pandemic, attributed mainly to the lack of outside contact children had while restricted to their homes.

"It's almost been a hidden pandemic within a pandemic," she said, noting there has since been a rapid increase in reporting as society opens back up.

"But, we're still fearful we will miss a whole chunk of kids who didn't have a chance to report."

She says Vernon's numbers are high for a relatively small community, and about 20-25 cases are opened each month.

The provincial child protection phone line is 310-1234.