Alberta Council of Women’s Shelters to release Workforce Survey Report

Jan Reimer, Executive Director of ACWS, said, “As the provincial government budget is being finalized there is one last opportunity to convince them to make a commitment in the best interest of Albertans. This is an urgent situation that is impacting survivors of violence. Shelters need to be resourced to meet the need, and right now there is a tidal wave of need in this province. We are calling upon the Government of Alberta and all political parties to respond to this urgent need.”

ACWS says it has been running a campaign throughout the month of February that encourages the public to send Valentines to their local shelter to demonstrate their support. The “Love a Shelter” campaign was launched to raise awareness about the ongoing violence against women and gender minorities, as well as to highlight the courage of women who are seeking a life free from violence and abuse and the labour of love that domestic violence shelters undertake to support them.

“A large number of the Valentines are now on display in the ACWS office, and this outpouring of hearts really paints an inspiring picture of how much communities understand the value of shelters. Shelters do some of the hardest work imaginable. We know it, the public knows it, and we would like the government to know it. That hard work should be met with stable funding. We need shelters to keep their doors open to survivors and to meet their needs with as much compassionate support as we can,” said Reimer. “We are heartened by the response of the community for our very first Love a Shelter campaign. We received some unsolicited Valentine’s, some virtual Valentine’s, and some from schools and groups across the province. We would like to thank everyone who showed their love for survivors, shelters, and their staff this Valentine’s Day.”

ACWS Quick Facts

Domestic violence shelters provide essential services to thousands of vulnerable Albertans every year.

Between April 1, 2021 and March 31, 2022, ACWS members sheltered 7,620 abuse survivors and their children.
They provided outreach support to 7,303 survivors.
They developed almost 3,000 safety plans with survivors leaving abusive relationships.
They provided shelter and life-changing programming for over 3,000 children.
And they answered 65,390 calls for support.

Demand for domestic violence shelter services is growing.

Demand for domestic violence shelter services increased by 36 per cent in 2021-22.
Shelters are struggling to meet the current levels of demand. In 2021-22 alone, shelters were unable to grant over 19,000 requests from survivors for admission, and 10,000 requests to shelter children who would have accompanied them, due to lack of capacity to house them or safely meet their needs.
While shelters will still actively work with survivors who are turned away to provide them with other resources and supports, these numbers speak to an extraordinary demand for an increase in the services and supports shelters are themselves able to provide.

The Alberta domestic violence shelter sector hasn’t had an operational funding increase in eight years and a staffing cost increase in nine years.

The last increase in funding for domestic violence shelter staff wages was in 2014-15.
The last increase in funding for domestic violence shelter operational costs was in 2015-16.
The cost of living has increased by over 20 per cent since 2015.
In 2021-22 alone, the cost of living in Alberta rose by 6.5 per cent.

Stagnant funding has a negative impact on shelters, staff, and survivors.

The average wage of domestic violence shelter staff is 15 per cent lower than the wage of the average Albertan. It’s 21 per cent lower than comparable business sector wages. It’s 33 per cent lower than comparable government wages.
Low wages directly impact the ability of shelters to recruit and retain competent staff. In 2021-22, the staff turnover rate in domestic violence shelters reached 45 per cent. This is an unprecedented turnover rate in the Alberta domestic violence sector, and it is 18 per cent higher than the national staff turnover average for domestic violence shelters.

In 2021-22 alone, it cost ACWS member shelters more than $2.25 million to fill vacant staff positions. The lack of stable funding ends up costing shelters even more, as they have to deal with the cost of turnover.

Tanya Fir, Parliamentary Secretary for Status of Women, issued the following statement on Tuesday in response to the report:

“Supporting women and children fleeing domestic violence is a primary focus for our government. We want women to know that when they need help, it will be there. The staff delivering these services are providing a lifeline for so many women and families, and we will always work together in ensuring supports are available.

Alberta’s government provided more than $51.3 million in 2022-23 to support Women’s Shelters throughout the province. Our government is also committed to continue taking action in preventing gender-based violence. Just today, our government announced that we would be providing $2.5 million to post-secondary institutions to help train students, staff and faculty against gender-based violence. As we continue in collaboration, we will help end violence against women and children in Alberta.”

As a government we are deeply committed to hearing from those supporting families fleeing violence. I was honoured when Premier Smith named me Parliamentary Secretary for Status of Women working with the Minister of Seniors, Community and Social Services.

I continue to visit Women’s Shelters across this province and thank them for the vitally important work they do for women and families in Alberta. I look forward to meeting with the team at ACWS in the near future.”

by rdnewsNOW staff

Alberta Council of Women’s Shelters to release Workforce Survey Report

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