Alberta Council of Women's Shelters study outlines staffing crisis, turning away clients

Story by Anna Junker • TODAY

Shelters had to turn away more than 11,000 women and seniors due to capacity issues during a 12-month period, new data from an organization of domestic violence shelters shows


Jan Reimer, Executive Director of the Alberta Council of Women's Shelters, speaks as the Alberta chapter of IODE Canada announces their $100,000 fundraising goal for the in support of Alberta children traumatized by domestic violence at WINGS of Providence in Edmonton, on Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2020.© Provided by Edmonton Journal

A new report released Wednesday by the Alberta Council of Women Shelters (ACWS) examines the state of shelters between April 1, 2021, and March 31, 2022.

According to the report, 11,546 requests for admission were by women and seniors who had to be turned away due to shelters being at physical capacity, along with 6,241 children who would have accompanied them had there been space.

Another 7,570 requests by women and seniors were turned away for other reasons, along with 3,336 children who would have accompanied a parent into a shelter. An individual is turned away when shelter staff are either unable to accommodate due to capacity, not enough staff or the shelter does not have the resources to meet the complexity of needs.

According to the report, stagnant wages, funding, and frozen salaries are contributing to a staffing crisis and high turnover rates. Pressures due to inflation and a decline in donations have also made shelter budgets tighter.

“Shelters need appropriate funding in order to be able to recruit and retain qualified staff — this is essential to their ability to meet the needs of the people who need help,” the report states.

Overall, during the 12-month period, shelters received 65,390 calls seeking support. Of those, 25,530 were calls to request admission yet only 16.6 per cent of those people gained entry.

There were 7,620 people sheltered — 4,182 women and 3,373 children, 48 men, and 17 who indicated another gender. Of those admitted, 6,989 were at emergency shelters.

In Edmonton, 30.7 per cent of emergency shelter clients stayed up to one week in a shelter, while 34.8 per cent stayed between one and three weeks, and 34.6 per cent stayed more than three weeks.

The report states the length of time a client stays is impacted by a variety of factors, including the affordability of local housing markets and the availability of community supports. It found a significant number of survivors require longer stays in shelters to support their safety and well-being.

Slightly more than 26 per cent of clients stayed at second-stage shelters, also known as transitional housing, for up to three months, while 21.2 per cent stayed between three and six months, 44.7 per cent stayed between six months and one year, and 7.9 per cent stayed for more than a year.

Seventy-two per cent of survivors who completed danger assessments in emergency shelters were at severe or extreme risk of being killed by a partner or ex-partner, for those staying in second-stage shelters, that figure rises to 85 per cent.