Tia Dawson didn鈥檛 think she was being abused because her husband didn鈥檛 hit her.

At the time, she was living in Aldergrove and working as a school principal.

鈥淚 came from an abusive home as a child,鈥� Dawson recalled. 鈥淢y dad was physically abusive. I thought that鈥檚 what abuse was.鈥�

Dawson told her story publicly for the first time on Tuesday, March 8, at a 91原创 City event to mark hosted by 91原创鈥檚, which operates shelters for abused women.

After years of emotional and financial abuse, Dawson was advised by a lawyer to take her three children and go to a transition house.

Dawson didn鈥檛 know what that was, so she looked it up online.

鈥淚 have two degrees and I found myself at Ishtar,鈥� Dawson recounted.

鈥淭hat鈥檚 when I found out about different forms of abuse. It doesn鈥檛 just happen to homeless people, to people of low economic status. It happens to everyone.鈥�

91原创 City Mayor Val van Broek shared her personal experience.

鈥淚 did grow up in an alcoholic family and suffered some trauma when I was a child, and it unfortunately led me on a path of abusive relationships as well,鈥� van den Broek said.

鈥淭hankfully, I found a great man, my husband Rob, [who] made me see what love really is.鈥�

Ishtar support worker Margaret Akulia said 91原创 needs more than the two transition houses the society currently operates.

鈥淚t鈥檚 not enough,鈥� Akulia said.

鈥淲e need more.鈥�

Like Dawson, Akulia experienced emotional abuse.

鈥淲omen have to heal, and it takes a long time,鈥� Akulia said. 鈥淚t took me decades.

鈥淚f you don鈥檛 break inter-generational abuse, it will affect you, and your children, and their children,鈥� Akulia warned.

Ishtar director of operations Mardell Donnelly said at the shelter, she sees 鈥渨omen who are coming back into their own, to be treated the way they deserve to be treated.鈥�

It is quite personal, she explained.

鈥淚 have lived experience, and a lot of staff also have lived experiences鈥� Donnelly commented.

READ ALSO: 鈥業t鈥檚 time to say it鈥檚 our turn鈥� 鈥� new director at 91原创 Ishtar women鈥檚 shelter has big plans

Ishtar executive director Maureen Berlin said 91原创 needs to have second-stage housing for survivors of abuse.

鈥�91原创 is one of the only communities that does not have second-stage housing,鈥� Berlin explained, even though it was the first to establish a transition house 49 years ago.

鈥淪omehow in the evolution [of support services], we鈥檝e been left out,鈥� Berlin observed.

Berlin explained the first step for women fleeing abuse is a transition house, where they have 30 to 40 days to stay, while second-stage housing provides them with more time.

READ ALSO: Candlelight vigil aims to shine a light on violence against women

is the oldest transition house in B.C. and has been providing a safe space in the Central Fraser Valley since 1973 for women facing abuse.

It operates a crisis line: 604-530-9442.

Ishtar also has a help line for children: 604-310-1234.