The whole community is the focus of efforts against family violence this year.

The Executive Director of the local Rowan House Women's Emergency Shelter, Sherrie Botten says they're taking the issue outside the building to talk to local groups.

She says their prevention teams will be speaking with students at schools about healthy relationships and dating violence.

"We also do the same type of thing with youth clubs, youth groups, so if you're a youth leader please call the office and see if you can book something if that fits in with the curriculum and what you would like to do," Botten says. "We also do these same presentations with adults, lots of service clubs, if you have a book club, or you have an investment club, it doesn't matter what, we'll come in and speak about what Rowan House does in the community and basic information on healthy relationships and basically what you can do if either you're in that type of situation or know someone that is."

Botten says increasing their outreach and prevention work is out of necessity because they're getting a lot of calls and she believes that's how they'll be able to make a real difference.

She says they still turn a number of women and their children away from the crisis facility so they're look at both early intervention and transitional housing.