‘No one deserves to be abused’: Rise in children turned away from Alberta shelters highlights domestic violence crisis

For the first time in more than a decade, children made up 40 per cent of those turned away from domestic violence shelters in Alberta last year, according to a new report from the Alberta Council of Women’s Shelters (ACWS).

The 2023–2024 shelter impact report paints a sobering picture of a system pushed beyond its limits, with 31,983 people, including thousands of children, unable to access shelter space due to a lack of capacity. This is the highest number ever reported in Alberta, said Cat Champagne, executive director at ACWS during a Monday presentation.

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“These are more than numbers. These represent real women, real children, real seniors, real families and real people,” she said. “Every one of these statistics is a brave and courageous individual who reached out for help, hoping for safety, for stability and a new beginning.”

Capacity crisis

According to the report, demand for domestic violence and elder abuse shelters in Alberta has grown faster due to the province’s rapid population growth. While Alberta’s population increased by 18 per cent over the past decade, shelters admitted 22 per cent fewer survivors per capita, and the number of people turned away rose by 19 per cent per capita.

Between April 1, 2023, and March 31, 2024, one in every 100 Albertans reached out to a shelter for help. Yet for every person who found refuge, four others, including children, were turned away due to a lack of space.

“We hear domestic violence shelters, we hear domestic violence and abuse, and we think adults,” said Miranda Pilipchuk, co-author of the shelter impact report. “We don’t often think about the kids, and that’s such an important part of the story. And right now, we’re seeing historic levels of children who can’t be sheltered, who need to come into shelter with their parents, and who just can’t because there isn’t enough space or enough resources. And that’s absolutely devastating, heartbreaking.”

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Shelters play a vital role in supporting children who have experienced or witnessed abuse, but the resources simply aren’t keeping up with the demand. The capacity crisis is stretching frontline providers to the breaking point. Since April, 2023, 30 per cent of surveyed shelters have already cut programs, and another 19 per cent expect to do so in the coming year due to financial and capacity pressures.

“We do need more sustainable funding to be able to support shelters, as far as their operations, as far as their staffing, and their wages. They’re really doing less with more,” Champagne said.

The report also shows that the current capacity crisis comes amid rising rates of intimate partner violence, with 2024 seeing multiple homicides related to domestic violence in Alberta. And while shelters are stepping up wherever possible, spending a collective 13,000 hours providing support by phone and serving more than 14,000 individuals across all programs, the numbers point to a system struggling to keep up.

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Continue to help

Still, shelters continue to respond as best they can. Despite the unprecedented need, Alberta’s network of domestic violence and elder abuse shelters provided critical support to 8,136 survivors and their children, and responded to 53,391 calls for help, an average of more than 146 calls per day.

According to the report, 96 per cent of shelters offered wraparound outreach services for survivors who didn’t stay in a shelter, helping them with safety planning, housing applications, legal navigation, counselling, childcare, education, employment support and culturally appropriate programming.

“The word ‘shelter’ doesn’t fully capture what we do. We are community hubs for safety and empowerment,” said Champagne.

The report also acknowledged the Alberta government’s recent investment of $19 million over three years to support 41 of the province’s shelters and to help prevent gender-based violence. But Champagne said more is needed to meet the demand and ensure that no survivor, especially no child, is left without help.

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“Every survivor deserves safety. Every survivor deserves support. And every survivor deserves the opportunity to thrive,” she said.

Survivor urges action

For Karen Gosbee, Monday’s report wasn’t just about data, it was personal.

Gosbee, who experienced 23 years of corrosive control, said the impacts of domestic violence stretch beyond physical abuse. Even though she never stayed in a shelter, she said their services remain essential for survivors like her, providing much more than just “a safe bed for people to stay.”

“They are community hubs of support that can offer counselling and emotional support to help survivors heal, legal guidance and protection and help navigate the very confusing system that (survivors) are faced with once they flee,” she said.

Gosbee said domestic violence doesn’t just affect individuals. It impacts families, seniors, and children, and it cuts across every social and economic divide.

“Abuse is pretty predictable. It’s consistent,” she said. “Whether it’s happening to people in affluent communities or (in places) where people don’t have resources or they are below the poverty line, those faces (of survivors), they don’t discriminate. They come in all different shapes and forms and sizes, colours, you name it,” she said.

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Gosbee called on Albertans to take action by supporting shelters, believing survivors, and spreading awareness.

“We can fund and support shelters. Shelters need stability, they need much more funding to stay open to answer those calls, all of these calls we’re getting, and deliver life-saving services,” she said.

“And then we can believe survivors. When someone shares their story, listen and believe them.”

cnguyen@postmedia.com

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