Building Safety Beyond Shelter: Interval House of Ottawa Marks 50 Years While Expanding Support for Survivors

For Lindsay Blair, running has always been a way to reset.

“It’s how I decompress,” she says. “I go into a flow state. I do it for all the benefits it brings me.”

But this year, her training carries added meaning.

As Executive Director of 2B Developments and project manager for a new housing initiative with Interval House of Ottawa, Blair is preparing for the 2026 Tamarack Ottawa Race Weekend not just as a runner, but as a fundraiser supporting survivors of gender-based violence.

Founded in 1976 as Ottawa’s first shelter for women and children fleeing abuse, Interval House has grown into the city’s oldest and largest emergency shelter for survivors of gender-based violence. Today, it operates a 30-bed emergency shelter for women, gender-diverse individuals, and their children, and remains the only shelter in the region that allows pets on-site; an important consideration for many survivors leaving unsafe homes.

Now, as it marks 50 years of service, the organization is preparing for a major new chapter.

This summer, Interval House will open a second-stage housing complex with 10 units of longer-term housing for survivors and their children transitioning out of emergency shelter. Developed in partnership with 2B Developments, the building will allow families to move from crisis accommodation into stable housing while continuing to access support as they rebuild their lives.

For Blair, helping bring that project to life has deepened her understanding of the organization’s impact.

“The services and housing Interval House provides are essential, and the team leads with pure passion and commitment,” she says. “We feel very strongly about doing what we can to support that work.”

A System Operating at Capacity

The expansion comes amid growing demand for services across the city.

Interval House receives an average of 12 calls per day from people and their dependents seeking emergency shelter as they flee abuse, and many cannot be accommodated due to a lack of space. The organization’s crisis line answered more than 2,000 calls over the past year alone.

“It’s heartbreaking to have to tell anyone who reaches out for help that our shelter is full, but it’s a daily reality,” says Keri Lewis, Executive Director of Interval House of Ottawa.

Housing shortages and financial barriers continue to make it harder for survivors to leave abusive situations safely — and harder for those in shelters to secure stable housing afterward. As a result, shelter stays are growing longer, limiting turnover for those still waiting for help.

“The lack of available shelter space means people in abusive situations often feel trapped,” Lewis says. “Without sufficient income supports and housing options, far too many survivors feel forced to remain in unsafe situations.”

Running for Visibility: What People Don’t Always See

For Blair, one of the most difficult realities is how invisible that need can be.

“The data we see is only a fraction of the true reality,” she says. “The barriers to leaving are extreme and difficult to overcome when supportive services are unavailable or at capacity.”

That is part of what makes Tamarack Ottawa Race Weekend such an important platform for the organization.

Beyond fundraising, the event offers an opportunity to raise awareness of an issue many people may not encounter directly in their daily lives.

“This year marks 50 years of Interval House,” Lewis says. “We are proud of our history, but we are also very aware of why we still exist.”

Blair will join Lewis and the Interval House team at Tamarack Ottawa Race Weekend as part of the organization’s fundraising effort.

“Being the project managers for this development and having the trust of their team to help make their newest project come to life is really an honour,” she says. “We have found other ways to give back over the years, but Race Weekend is the one I get the most amped up for. It’s our way of showing Interval House how much working with them means to us, and how important it is to keep going.”

How to Support

As Interval House enters its next 50 years, Lewis says community support remains essential.

“We wish more people understood how prevalent this violence is, and how to support someone if they suspect abuse,” she says. “The more people know how to identify unhealthy or abusive relationship behaviour, as well as where they can go for help, the safer our communities become.”

To support Interval House of Ottawa, you can:

“Every contribution makes you part of the 50 years of community support keeping us here for survivors,” Lewis says.