More housing is needed for women fleeing violence

Finding safe homes is becoming a challenge for a growing number of women escaping abusive relationships, says a spokesman for a transitional home in Victoria.

In recent years, when a woman arrived at the Victoria Women’s Transitional Housing Association’s 18-bed emergency shelter – intended for stays of up to 30 days – she could wait until the end of her stay to speak to staff about transitioning to temporary housing. , said Susan Howard, the society’s director of development and communications.

Now, when a woman comes to a crisis shelter, one of the first conversations she has is about housing options and getting on waiting lists for small temporary housing in the city, Howard said.

Victoria is not alone; Cities across the country are grappling with a lack of housing for women fleeing violence, according to a report by Women’s Shelters Canada, with 97 per cent of shelter workers saying it has become harder to support survivors finding homes. last year.

More women are leaving shelters for unaffordable or unsafe housing, and some are choosing to return to their abusers rather than remain homeless, according to the report released Monday, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women.

Howard said it’s not entirely clear why the need has increased over the past decade. “I’m not sure if there’s more abuse or just more awareness,” he said.

What is clear is that second-stage transitional housing is not enough for women affected by intimate partner violence and their children.

Howard said that more than 200 women stayed in the community’s emergency shelter last year, adding that those who could not find a place in temporary housing were in a difficult situation.

Some may stay with friends or move to another community. Others may stay in emergency shelter longer than the typical 30-day period.

“It’s a difficult situation because we know there is a need for others to come to the shelter and they are waiting,” Howard said.

He said some relief could come to Victoria with the opening of a new 50-unit transitional housing building that is nearly finished.

Located in a discreet location, the building will include studio, one, two and three-bedroom apartments. It will provide housing for women and their children for up to 24 months with on-site support and rent based on their income.

A group of women at the legislature on Monday held signs bearing the names of 16 women killed by men in B.C. this year, including two on Vancouver Island.

The silent vigil was organized by Vancouver Rape Relief and Women’s Shelter, which monitors news and police reports to compile a list of femicides or women killed by men because they are women, spokeswoman Hilla Kerner said.

Kerner said the group is asking the state to have coroners investigate each femicide to determine what systems failed it.

It was stated that half of the 16 women killed by men in the province this year were killed by their current or former partners.

“This is a reflection of the society we live in, where men have authority over women’s bodies without taking any responsibility,” Kerner said.

The group also said it wants the province to provide women with a guaranteed livable income so that women in violent situations have the opportunity to leave abusive partners.

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