November's Domestic Violence Awareness Month, and for the Portage Family Abuse Prevention executive director, it's important.

Joyce Schrader says it's because we're not where we need to be in our society.

"Women and girls, and men, and especially the children, are impacted by violence all the time, every day, in ways that sometimes are unspeakable," she says. "So we need to keep talking about it, and trying to resolve it. Just to ignore it would be almost criminal. So we have to keep building that awareness."

Schrader hopes more people will become involved.

"I think most people know that this topic is very difficult to speak of," she says. "But I do believe each and every one of us knows someone that has been impacted by violence, we know someone who we believe may have some violence in their lives, and we need to get self-educated. There are lots of resources online now to develop that awareness."

Schrader adds there's heightened awareness at the Centre this month.

"November gives us an opportunity to think about the community, and asking the community at large to think about it, to help us," she says. "And I think, for us, it's a time that the community can say we support you, we understand the work you do is very difficult, and we will help you build awareness in the community."