Families leaving domestic violence in Calgary experience longer wait times before they can access important shelter and support services.
In a news release Thursday morning, Discovery House said families seeking housing are currently waiting up to 112 days to access shelter and support services, more than double the wait time as of this summer. Discovery House is a local registered charity dedicated to helping those fleeing domestic violence.
Calgary’s housing crisis, along with rising costs and higher rates of domestic violence, have created dangerously long wait times, said Leslie Hill, executive director of Discovery House.
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This creates a lot of vulnerability for the families she works with because Discovery House is often the second step after a family leaves an emergency shelter.
“This is a very difficult time for people and it can be very dangerous. When a woman leaves a domestic violence relationship, that’s actually one of the most dangerous times because their partner may be trying to take control of that relationship,” Hill said.
“Approximately 52 percent of the women who come to our shelter are at serious or extreme risk of being killed by their abusive partner… They need safety and security and when that is not available, they may stay with family and friends, in a hotel or motel, or sleep in their cars.”
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Hill also said more people are trying to access Discovery House’s services than ever before. Staff have seen a 27 percent increase in the number of families on the waiting list compared to this time last year.
Families also stay at Discovery House’s shelter for longer periods of time.
“We’re seeing more people need our services and it’s harder for people to move to their own spaces in the community when they come here, so they’re staying longer in our shelter,” Hill said.
“We really need our society to invest in an affordable housing strategy and to bring more rental units to the market so people have a safe place to go… There are systemic issues around poverty that affect our ability to hire people move and these are the long-term solutions to this crisis.
“In the past, people were on average for six or seven months. We have seen that increase to 10 or 11 months, or even more than a year sometimes. This is because of the affordability crisis.”
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