Alberta women's shelters turn away thousands due to lack of space and staff: report
Alberta women's shelters turn away thousands due to lack of space and staff: report
CALGARY -
Emergency shelters in Alberta haven't been able to provide refuge to thousands of women who were fleeing domestic violence due to a lack of space, a report shows.
The data, which runs from April 1, 2021, to March 30, 2022, was compiled by the Alberta Council of Women's Shelters from 37 member organizations that operate more than 50 shelters across the province.
"Our members are under extreme strain due to chronic underfunding and they are struggling to meet the need in their communities," Jan Reimer, executive director of the council, said in a video released later Wednesday.
"I don't want this fact, which in itself is deeply troubling, to prevent anyone who needs help from reaching out, but the reality is the sheltering sector in Alberta is experiencing a compounding of pressures on their operations.
"Some shelters are even considering closing their unfunded beds, despite being at capacity every night. Some shelters don't receive government funding at all."
The annual report shows the shelters received 65,390 calls for help, and about 25,530 of those callers requested admission. About 16 per cent of those calls led to a woman being admitted, said the report.
It said shelters had to turn away 11,546 requests for admission by women and seniors, along with 6,241 children, because they were full.
Another 7,570 women and seniors, as well as more than 3,336 children, were turned away for other reasons such as staffing shortages or the shelter not having enough resources to meet the complexity of their needs. The report said people with problematic substance use may not be admitted, because that could negatively affect children and other shelter residents. People with mental health concerns might be turned away because the shelter doesn't have resources to address them, it added.
Reimer said those are not just statistics, but "living, breathing Albertans — many of whom are in severe danger."
When people are turned away from a shelter, the report said they often have limited options for a safe place to stay.
"Many will end up sleeping in cars, on the streets, living temporarily with friends or relatives, or returning to their abuser," said the report. "There is a critical need for safe and affordable housing in the province of Alberta."
Jeremy Nixon, minister of seniors, community and social services, said at a separate news conference about affordable housing Wednesday that he saw the report earlier in the day.
"This is something that's important to me, it's important to this government that when people are experiencing domestic violence, that they have somewhere to go," he said when asked about it by a reporter.
"We are doing and will do everything we can to make sure that individuals fleeing domestic violence have supports, and I am looking into this."
At the news conference, Nixon announced $55 million over three years so Albertans have more access to affordable housing.
The government said the program is to help public, non-profit and private sectors build more homes for seniors, families, people with low incomes, disabilities, and victims of violence.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 7, 2022.
A gay man is taking the federal government to court, challenging the constitutionality of a policy restricting sexually active gay and bisexual men from donating to sperm banks in Canada, CTV News has learned.
A Quebec woman said she was very surprised to find her stolen Audi had been used in what’s being described as an “absolutely insane” Ontario mall robbery.
A suicide bomber who killed 101 people at a mosque in northwest Pakistan this week had disguised himself in a police uniform and did not raise suspicion among guards, the provincial police chief said on Thursday.
Top European Union officials arrived in Kyiv on Thursday for talks with Ukrainian officials as rescue crews dug through the rubble of an apartment building in eastern Ukraine struck by a Russian missile, killing at least three people and wounding about 20 others.
A team of preteen Ukrainian refugees that have been scattered across Europe by war arrived Wednesday in Quebec City, where they'll get the chance to compete in a renowned hockey tournament.
Nearly a year since Russia's invasion of Ukraine, community organizers say there is still work to be done to help the thousands of Ukrainian refugees looking to start a new life in Canada while coping with the hardships they've faced coming here.
Calgary police are looking for suspects involved in an altercation that lasted for approximately an hour, spanned several communities and ended with a gun being fired.
Tsuut'ina Nation Police Service officials are encouraging any local victims to come forward following the arrest of actor Nathan Lee Chasing Horse in Las Vegas on sex assault charges.
Connor Bedard has arrived in Calgary ahead of what's expected to be a completely full Scotiabank Saddledome when the Calgary Hitmen and Regina Pats square off.
A new 911 dispatch system in New Brunswick means that now fire departments aren’t getting dispatched to all medical calls leaving residents waiting and first responders in the dark.
A Quebec woman said she was very surprised to find her stolen Audi had been used in what’s being described as an “absolutely insane” Ontario mall robbery.
Hundreds of tenants at a midtown Toronto apartment building have been without heat for a week now, and many are worried with the arrival of bitter-cold temperatures.
Canada's new special representative on combating Islamophobia has apologized for words that hurt Quebecers after leaders in that province called for her resignation.
Montreal police say two men are in hospital Wednesday night with stab wounds after an altercation in a home in the city's Mercier-Hochelaga-Maisonneuve borough.
Ottawa ranks 45th out of 62 cities across Canada and the United States in a study on downtown recovery, with activity levels at 51 per cent of pre-pandemic levels.
While crews have resumed operations in an attempt to open the Rideau Canal Skateway for its 53rd season, an NCC spokesperson tells CTV News Ottawa the canal will not open in time for the first weekend of Winterlude on Friday.
A hearing is underway to determine if Udo Haan is not criminally responsible for the death of his wife Edra Haan, who was found in the aftermath of the 2018 house explosion in Kitchener, Ont.
Chief Mark Crowell made a presentation at a council meeting Wednesday justifying the proposed $214 million budget for the Waterloo Regional Police Service (WRPS).
Tsuut'ina Nation Police Service officials are encouraging any local victims to come forward following the arrest of actor Nathan Lee Chasing Horse in Las Vegas on sex assault charges.
The organization regulating medical care and services in Manitoba is apologizing for racism directed towards Indigenous people when accessing health care in the province.
B.C.'s Ministry of Health is continuing its multi-year trend of paying millions more dollars each year to private surgical centres for the delivery of public health care, CTV News has learned.
Changes to the amount of time the public gets to voice their opinion during Surrey City Council meetings has caused controversy among former councillors.
A homicide investigation is underway on Quadra Island, B.C., after a 39-year old woman was found dead in what investigators believe was a targeted killing.
Alberta's former chief medical officer of health has landed a new role in British Columbia. Dr. Deena Hinshaw was named a deputy provincial health officer for B.C. on Wednesday.
